Charmed 1. Wearing your heart on your sleeve

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

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Chapter One – Wearing your heart on your sleeve.

Lindsey Ludlow stood in front of the blank wall in the attic of the Halliwell Manor, impatiently tapping her foot as the youngest Charmed One drew a triquetra on it in the slowest manner possible. In her head, she knew Paige really wasn't moving incredibly slowly just to annoy her. But to a 20 year old girl who was very anxious to get to the man she loved, it certainly felt like she was. Her gaze bored into the older woman's back as she continued to move at a snails pace, trying with everything she had to get her to hurry up. She wanted out of there _now_. She wanted to step through the portal and into his arms and she really wanted to never leave them again. Lindsay sighed and ran a hand through her waist length riot of thick coffee and cream coloured curls. She wasn't even sure if that was going to happen. She had no idea if he was going to remember her or not. She just really had to cling onto the fact that he'd promised he would. That he'd said he'd never forget her. And now she had even more reason to take that chance. She had to believe him. Her hand unconsciously drifted down and settled protectively over her flat stomach. She really didn't have any other choice. Not that she'd had one before this turn of events anyway… She sighed and shook her head and since the tapping and staring weren't working, she gave up on them and began to pace instead. She stopped suddenly when she felt someone touch her shoulder.

"Lindsey, sweetie, calm down. She's almost done. We'll get you there in no time, don't worry" Phoebe said in a soothing voice and Lindsey turned towards her and grimaced.

"Sorry I just really want to see him you know" she said quietly and Phoebe gave her a sympathetic, understanding smile.

"We know honey. But wearing a hole in the floor isn't going to make it happen any faster."

Lindsey sighed and was about to answer her when Paige stepped back and dusted off her hands.

"Done. Now let's get this show on the road shall we?" she said and Lindsey turned toward the Book of Shadows, watching eagerly as all three of the Charmed Ones lined up behind it. Her impatience quadrupled as they flicked through the pages to find the right spell. Why hadn't they done that before? She ran a hand through her hair again and had Piper looking up in amusement. She stared at the girl for a second and then frowned.

"Hey are you feeling okay?" she asked her and as the other two sister's heads came up, Lindsey looked at her in confusion.

"What do you mean? I feel fine" she said. Piper continued to frown.

"You keep clutching your stomach. You're not feeling sick are you?" she asked and Lindsey's gaze flew downward. She was indeed still holding her stomach. Lindsey quickly removed her hand and threw Piper an innocent smile.

"I'm fine just a little nervous I guess" she said in an overly bright voice. Piper narrowed her eyes at her. Lindsey gulped and dropped her gaze.

"I really am fine Piper" she said in a shifty voice. She hated lying. But there should only be one person she should be telling this to at the moment. And he wasn't here anymore. He was twenty years in the future or there abouts. Her head came up and she began tapping again.

"The spell?" she asked impatiently and the three Halliwell sisters turned back to the Book again. They flipped a few more pages and then stopped.

"Ah here it is. And I was right; you do need the Power of Three. That's why it didn't work when Chris tried it by himself. Told you so" Paige said smugly to Piper. Piper glared at her and Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Guys please?" she said, her voice bordering on pleading. The Charmed Ones looked at her again and their gazes softened at the desperation in her face.

"Okay Lindsey, go stand in front of the wall" Piper said. Lindsey did as she was told. "You ready?" she asked her. Lindsey nodded uncertainly. Just as the sister were about to recite the spell, she suddenly spun back around.

"Wait" she said and the Charmed Ones stopped and looked at her. She smiled at them shyly.

"I just want to thank you for everything you guys have done for me. You've always been there for me. Ever since I was little girl and my dad and I moved in across the street, you guys have always given up your own time to help me deal with my problems. And then when my dad died and I came into my powers… well I can't even imagine where I'd be now if Prue hadn't convinced Grams to take me in. You guys didn't even know the full extent of what I was going through until Phoebe released your own powers. But you still stuck by me. You've never once let me down and I love you all so much for it" she said earnestly.

The sisters all stared back at her until Phoebe moved first. Tears filled her eyes and she rushed around from the behind the Book and threw her arms around Lindsey.

"Oh sweetie we love you too and I will miss you sooo much" she said while squeezing the younger woman as tight as she could. Lindsey sniffed and hugged her back.

"I'll miss you too Phoebe. Thanks for helping me through my early teens. It would've been so much harder without you there explaining everything" she said with a smile. Phoebe grinned back at her.

"Hey what can I say, I've always loved guiding people" she said and Lindsey laughed. "You give that nephew of mine a hard hug from me when you see him okay?" she said and Lindsey grinned and nodded. Phoebe stepped back to let her younger sister through.

"Aw, here comes the hugging part" Paige said, making Lindsey laugh again as she pulled her into her arms. Lindsey hugged her in return and then pulled back.

"You really are a good friend Paige. Thanks for helping me sort everything out at the beginning of the year. I wouldn't be standing here hopefully stepping towards my future if it wasn't for you." Paige scoffed.

"Aw come on now dude, course you would. You two are meant for each other. Anyone can see that" she said and Lindsey smiled sadly. _Not everyone _she thought with a glance at the person who hopefully one day would be her mother-in-law. Piper hadn't moved which caused Lindsey to frown.

"Piper?" she asked a little hesitantly. Piper sighed and stepped towards her. She reached up and brushed the hair out of Lindsey's eyes.

"Prue and Grams would be proud of you, you know. So would your dad. No not would be. They are proud of you" she said quietly and Lindsey smiled. She took a step forward and tentatively put her arms around her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry for not being the type of person you wanted your son to fall for" she whispered and felt Piper freeze in her arms. She suddenly felt herself being jerked backwards.

"What are you talking about; you're not the person I wanted him to be with? Whatever gave you that idea?" she demanded urgently. Lindsey bit her lip and looked at the ground.

"You didn't really approve when we first started seeing each other. I know that. And you never really said anything different" she whispered again. Piper sighed, reached over and drew Lindsey's chin up so that she was looking into her eyes.

"Lindsey, you are everything I could ever possibly want for my son. Everything about you is right for him. And I know I didn't approve at first, but I soon changed my mind. You know why? Because you made him _happy_. Anyone who does that is good in my books because he really needed some happiness in his life. But it being you just makes it even better. I know you and I know you would never hurt him. I'm sorry I gave you the impression that you weren't good enough for him. If anything, he's probably not good enough for you. And if Leo was able to be here, he would be agreeing with me wholeheartingly" she said simply.

Lindsey blinked at her, sighed in relief and then threw her arms around her again.

"Thank you" she breathed and Piper brushed her hand down her hair.

"No thank you" she whispered back. "For that happiness I mentioned. Oh, and make sure you take care of that grandchild of mine you're carrying okay?" Lindsey froze and Piper chuckled.

"What? You thought I wouldn't notice? I've had two babies myself Lindsey. I know the signs. I know when someone is expecting. Especially if it's someone I've known most of their life." Lindsey cringed slightly then pulled back and looked at her.

"Ah… so you're okay with it?" she asked in a quiet voice so the other two wouldn't hear. Piper lifted her scared eyebrow in amusement.

"Too late now if I'm not isn't it? It would have been nice if you'd gotten married first but beggars can't be choosers. Please say you'll tie the knot before the birth though?" she asked just as quietly. Lindsey smiled shyly and nodded.

"If he remembers me it'll be one of the first things on the list" she said. She frowned and drew in a shaky breath. "God I hope he remembers me."

Hearing this, Phoebe came over and put her arm around Lindsey's shoulder.

"Hey, think positive thoughts remember. And he said he would didn't he? He promised to never forget you" she said. Lindsey sighed.

"It's not something he has any control over though" she said softly and Phoebe squeezed her shoulder.

"Well you'll just have to make him remember then won't you? I'm sure you know _exactly_ how to do that" she said suggestively.

As Paige laughed and Piper swotted her sisters' shoulder, Lindsey blushed. She then stood up straight and squared her shoulders. Yes she would make him remember. Though not in the way Phoebe suggested. If he didn't remember her she would just have to make him fall in love with her all over again. She'd done it once, though she had no idea how. She'd just have to somehow do it again. She nodded her head decisively and as the sister moved back behind the Book, she turned her gaze back to the triquetra-covered wall.

"Are you ready?" Piper asked her for the second time and this time Lindsey's nod was determined instead of uncertain. She took a deep breath. It was now or never. The sisters looked down at the Book and in time, recited the spell.

_In this place and in this hour,  
We call upon the ancient power,  
Open the door through time and space,  
Create a path to another place._

Lindsey watched the wall closely as they finished the spell. Even though she knew in her heart that it was going to work, she still felt a very small trickle of doubt. She shouldn't have though. She'd seen the sisters do a lot of things that she would have thought impossible over the years and this was no exception. Her heart started to beat hard and fast as the triquetra on the wall suddenly glowed blue and a powerful swirling vortex appeared. She took another deep breath and then turned towards the sisters.

"Wish me luck" she said, her voice shaking slightly.

"Good luck sweetie. See you in the future" Phoebe said with a smile.

"Yeah good luck dude. Go give em hell!" Paige rallied with a grin. Piper was silent for a couple of second and then she smiled softly.

"Good luck and Goddess bless sister" she said. Lindsey's eyes widened before a joyful smile rocketed across her face. She turned back to the vortex, quickly wiped away the tears on her cheeks and took a final bracing breath. She took one step, two steps and a final one and then she was gone.

~0~

It wasn't a terribly rough ride. Lindsey had expected to be incredibly dizzy and disorientated when she stepped out again, but fortunately she wasn't. She didn't feel a thing. One moment she was stepping in and almost instantaneously the next, she was stepping out. No, she didn't feel anything from the vortex, but she definitely felt something the minute she crossed the threshold on the other side. It was hard not to feel yourself being flung backwards into the air. As soon as Lindsey realised what was going on, she twisted onto her back in mid-air and curled herself around her stomach, praying she wouldn't hit anything too hard. Unfortunately her prayers weren't answered, as she crashed into something very solid and slid down onto the floor. Lindsey groaned and shook her head, trying her best to ignore the pain that was spreading down from her shoulders. _At least I know I'm in the right place_ she thought. _No one else TK's like a Halliwell does._ She stayed were she was for a moment or two and when no other attack seemed imminent, she cautiously lifted her head and looked around the room. Standing over by the Book with his hand still raised was a tall blond man and a dark haired teenage girl. They were both staring at her suspiciously.

"Okay who are you and what are you doing here?" the blond demanded. Lindsey blinked a couple of times and then with a few winces, slowly got to her feet.

"Is that always your policy? Shoot first and ask questions later?" she groaned again. "No don't answer that. I'm guessing you're Wyatt Halliwell? So of course it is. That's what Halliwells do" she muttered. Her eyes suddenly widened and her hands flew to her stomach. She closed her eyes and quickly assessed the situation. Everything seemed okay. No blood, that was good. And no pain from her womb either. She breathed a small sigh of relief.

"How do you know me?" the blond man – Wyatt, he'd just confirmed it – asked. "And how do you know my family? I've never seen you before." Lindsey snorted.

"Don't be so sure about that" she said and Wyatt frowned.

"Answer my questions or you'll fly again" he growled. Lindsey raised her hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay, I'm not here to hurt anyone! Jeez, not very trusting are you? Never mind the fact that I just used a spell to get here that could only come from the Book of Shadows. My name is Lindsey and-"

"Wyatt? Melinda? Are you guys okay?" a very familiar panicked voice called from down the stairs and Lindsey spun around to watch a twenty-years-older Piper Halliwell rush into the room, her sisters following her. When her eyes fell on Lindsey, she stopped dead. Lindsey gave her a small smile.

"Ah, hi Piper" she said softly and a squeal sounded from behind the still stunned matriarch.

"Lindsey! Oh my god it's you!" Phoebe cried and the next thing Lindsey knew, she was buried in the middle sisters arms. Lindsey laughed softly at her exuberance.

"Yeah it's me Phoebe. It's good to see you, though for me it was only five minutes ago that I left you" she said wryly.

"Well for us dude it was twenty two years ago!" and Lindsey laughed again as the youngest Charmed One hugged her enthusiastically. Paige hadn't changed a bit. Lindsey turned towards Piper who still hadn't moved.

"Kit got your tongue?" she asked teasingly and Piper finally woke up. She stepped forward and pulled the younger woman into a hard hug.

"I'm glad you finally made it" she said softly before stepping back and placing her hand gently on Lindsey's stomach. "And this I take it…?" Lindsey nodded.

"I think it's okay. Though your son did throw me rather hard when I got here so we might want to get it checked out" she whispered. Piper gasped and pulled away to glare at her son and the girl who Lindsey assumed was her daughter, both of whom were watching the scene with a large amount of confusion. She was about to begin berating them when a tinkling sound rang through the room and a swirl of blue and while orbs appeared out of nowhere. Lindsey went completely and utterly still when the orb cloud cleared to reveal a man with dark chocolate brown hair and a pair of startling, very intense green eyes. He gazed around the room and raised his eyebrow in question.

"Hey guys, what's going on?" he asked in a deep throaty voice and the sound of it swam through Lindsey's head and flowed down into her bloodstream, waking up nerve endings that had been dead for the past month. Her heart began pounding in her ears and she took two slow steps towards him. She didn't even notice the look of horror that flashed across Phoebe's face.

"Oh damn! Lindsey, stop, you can't… I have to tell you something-"

Lindsey ignored Piper as she tugged urgently on her arm. Staring at the man in front of her intensely, she took another step, and then another and then suddenly she was running. She slammed straight into the man, knocking him back a step or two. Her arms viced around his neck and her heart filled with joy. He was here! He was _alive_! She buried her face into his throat.

"Chis…" she breathed as her body began to tremble. She was so caught up in her reaction that she didn't notice him freeze in surprise until he grabbed her arms and pulled her away from him.

"Umm… Hi. Who are you?" he asked and Lindsey suddenly went very cold. Her eyes locked on his, ignoring the way he went still as he saw the unusual violet colour of her own. And all she saw in them was confusion. None of the pride. None of the desire. None of the _love _he'd looked at her with just over a month ago. Ice filled Lindsey's veins and her face went utterly blank.

"You don't know who I am" she whispered in a hollow voice. Chris frowned.

"No. I'm really sorry but I have no idea who you are" he said gently and Lindsey's world crashed down around her.


	2. And watching it break

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

**Quick A/N – Read and Review people! Please? For me? Come on now. You know you want to. Would love to know what everyone thinks! Right that's enough grovelling. On with the story!**

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Chapter Two – And watching it break.

"_You don't know who I am" she whispered in a hollow voice. Chris frowned._

"_No. I'm really sorry but I have no idea who you are" he said gently and Lindsey's world crashed down around her._

Chris Halliwell's eyes widened as he watched all expression drain from the mysterious girls face. One moment those gripping eyes that reminded him a lot of the gemstone Amethyst were bright, the next they were dull. Lifeless. Empty almost. It was as if she had slipped on an invisible mask that hid all emotions from the outside world. And even though Chris was completely positive that he didn't know this girl from a bar of soap, he suddenly felt a very strong loathing for said mask. It shouldn't be there. At all. Those gemstone eyes looked absolutely stunning lit up with joy and happiness and the mask completely destroyed that. He shook his head and frowned. He'd never seen her eyes like that, so how did he know this? He had no idea. He just did. It was just something that he was suddenly absolutely certain about.

The girl closed her eyes and seemed to steady herself. Chris stared at her, hoping that when she opened them again, the mask would be gone but no such luck. It was still there, hiding her emotions. He was about to ask her if she was okay when the air shimmered and someone else entered the attic. The person's eyes immediately latched onto the strange woman that Chris was still holding. She frowned, folded her arms and raised her eyebrow.

"Okay what's going on? Who's that? And why are you holding her?" she asked and Chris could hear the jealously in her voice. He stepped back from the stranger and frowned.

"You know, that's something I think everyone would like to know" Wyatt asked and Melinda nodded in agreement. "What is going on here? Who is this girl and where did she come from?"

The young Halliwells turned toward the older generation for some answers but before anyone said anything, Chis found his attention drawn to the stranger again. The newcomers gaze was fixed on the most recent occupant of the attic. Chis drew his breath in in shock. He'd got what he'd wanted. The mask was gone and he could clearly read the emotions that boiled through her eyes. Shock. Horror. And pain. _A lot _of pain.

"Bianca" the girl whispered and the most recent addition to the group frowned again.

"Do I know you?" she asked her but the stranger didn't answer. She just continued to stare. Bianca stepped forward and waved her hand in front of her face.

"Hello? Anyone in there?" she asked and the girl suddenly focused on the hand being waved in front of her. Or more specifically, on the engagement ring that resided on that hand. She suddenly seemed to freeze. It was almost as if she'd stopped breathing. And if Chris thought that there was pain in her gaze before, it was nothing compared to what he saw now. He flinched and looked away, unable to handle looking at so much agony. Bianca continued to frown.

"Is she deaf or something?" she asked and Chris grimaced at her rudeness before noticing that Bianca's words left mist in the air behind them. So did her breathing. Suddenly feeling the frigid air on his skin, he shivered and rubbed his arms. Why was it suddenly so cold in here?

"Umm, guys? There's ice spreading over the windows" Melinda said in a worried voice. Chris looked around and found she was right. Ice was slowly creeping its way over the glass surfaces in the room and the temperature was plummeting rapidly.

"Is a demon attacking?" Wyatt asked, his voice shaking with cold. The Charmed Ones exchanged a glance.

"No not a demon" Piper murmured before she stepped over towards the newcomer.

"Lindsey? Honey look at me" she said. The girl just continued to stare at Bianca. Piper sighed and stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

"Lindsey? Look at me please" she said, flatting her lips in annoyance when she was ignored. "Lindsey Michelle Ludlow you look at me this instant" she barked and her commanding tone finally got through. The girl, a.k.a Lindsey apparently, jumped slightly, dragged her gaze away from the phoenix and looked into Piper's eyes.

"Lindsey you need to calm down and get a hold of yourself. Look at what you're doing. Or is it your intention to freeze everyone to death?"

Lindsey stared at Chris's mother for a few seconds before she blinked and shook her head slightly. She closed her eyes and drew in a breath. She seemed to be concentrating and suddenly Chris noticed the room temperature begin to rise again. The ice stopped spreading and melted, leaving little puddles all around the room. She opened her eyes again and the first thing Chris noticed was that the mask was back in place.

"Good. That's better. I know this isn't what you were hoping for and I'm deeply sorry for that, but you should have better control of yourself. You know what you can do when your emotions get away from you" Piper said quietly. The girl sighed and nodded her head slightly.

"Sorry. It won't happen again" she said in an equally soft voice.

"Okay what the hell just happened?" Bianca demanded with a frown. "Who is this person?"

The Charmed Ones exchanged another glance and the girl took a deep breath and seemed to brace herself. She looked at the older Halliwells with an expression on her face that seemed to ask _well what now?_ Phoebe stepped over and put her arm around the newcomers shoulder, turning her towards the other occupants of the room.

"Everyone, as you may have figured already, this in Lindsey Ludlow. She's a 20 year old witch who has power over the elements and in a lesser sense, control over the weather. She can also sense people's life-forces. She comes from a long line of witches that eventually dates back to an elemental sprite – hence her powers. She moved in across the street from us when she was ten and Grams took her in after her father died when she was fourteen. Twenty two years ago we cast a spell to bring her to our future and, well, here she is."

There was complete silence in the room after Phoebe finished her speech. Though everyone else seemed shocked, Chris found himself not feeling all that surprised with the explanation. Stuff like this just seemed to be an everyday occurrence in the Halliwell Manor. At least she wasn't a demon. And she seemed to be a pretty powerful force of good which would be quite beneficial. _Plus it really won't be all that much of a chore looking into those eyes everyday_ he thought and then smacked himself mentally. Where the hell did that thought come from? Melinda was the first person to get over her shock. She stepped forward with a smile.

"Wow. So you're from the past. I'm Melinda Halliwell. You probably don't know me because I wasn't born yet twenty two years ago. Don't think I was even thought of yet. I'm Piper's daughter. What was in like growing up in the stone age?"

Lindsey blinked at her in slight confusion before she seemed to realise that Melinda was joking. A small smile passed across her face and briefly lit her eyes.

"Quite cold actually. And pretty backbreaking, what with all those primitive tools we had to use" she said dryly and Melinda laughed.

"So I'm guessing you got to change a few of my brother's diapers" she said with a grin and Wyatt groaned. "Sucks to be you."

"Aw come on now, don't remind her of that! Don't want to traumatise the girl for life!" Paige said with a laugh and Lindsey smiled again.

"I get absolutely no respect in this family. It's really is quite appalling" Wyatt said with a sniff. He then squinted at her. "You know, I think I do remember you slightly. Your eyes mainly I think."

"Yeah they are pretty cool actually. They're natural aren't they?" Melinda asked curiously and Chris paid even closer attention. He wanted to know the answer to that as well. Lindsey nodded.

"Yeah they are. Along with my powers, they come from my elemental ancestor. I'm the first person in about five generations that the elemental blood has showed up so strongly in" she said quietly. Quiet seemed to be her regular tone of voice.

"So you can do that thing with the ice whenever you want?" Melinda asked. Before Lindsey could answer though, Piper stepped in.

"How about we leave Lindsey alone now and let her get settled in? We'll have a family dinner tonight and you can carry on the interrogation then" she said and Melinda pouted slightly. She then brightened and grabbed Lindsey's hand.

"Come on then, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping" she said and without further ado, dragged the girl out of the room. Chris shook his head. If Lindsey had lived here since she was fourteen, there was a very high chance that she would know her way around already. In her excitement, Melinda hadn't seemed to have thought of that though. Or maybe she just didn't care. The others turned to follow the two girls, only to be stopped by a disbelieving Bianca.

"Okay so that's it then? You all suddenly just trust her? The girl that just tried to kill us all?" she asked incredulously. The sisters all frowned.

"She didn't try to kill us Bianca. She just let her emotions get away from her that's all" Phoebe said.

"But why did she? What caused her to react the way she did? And what is she even doing here in the first place? Isn't her being here messing with the Grand Design?" Bianca burst out in frustration. Chris frowned slightly. He was interested in getting an answer to that as well. The Charmed Ones looked at each other and then turned back to the others.

"We can't really answer those questions until we've spoken to Lindsey first" Phoebe said apologetically. "And maybe not even then. This concerns her a great deal and it really should be up to her what she wants to tell everyone."

"Oh come on! You expect us to except that? This girl just pops out of nowhere and we don't get an explanation?" Bianca asked scornfully. Piper looked at her coldly.

"Yes we do. We also expect you to trust us. If we say she's good then she's good" she said and Bianca scoffed.

"Right. Because you three have been such good judges of character in the past. How many demons have you dated?" she asked and both Chris and Wyatt gasped.

"Okay that's enough Bianca. I trust my mother and aunts and so should you" Chris said firmly. Bianca turned on him.

"You talk about trust? Why aren't you trusting _me?_ I mean, I show up and she was in your arms Chris! You don't find something not right about that?" she demanded in a shrill voice and even though she did have a point, Chris suddenly realised what was bringing on her attack. She was jealous again. She'd done it before many times, verbally attacking any female Chris got even a little bit friendly with. It was one of a couple of pretty major problems in their relationship and one Chris really didn't feel like dealing with at the moment.

"I understand what you're saying Bianca, but I trust my family. Can't that be enough for you at the moment?" he asked quietly, slightly uncomfortable with airing their dirty laundry in public. Bianca folded her lips and her eyes sizzled with anger and resentment.

"Well I can see that my opinion doesn't matter as much to you as your precious families does at the moment. Call me when you've got your head on straight again. Or don't!" she snapped before shimmering out. Chris sighed.

"Sorry guys" he said, rubbing the back of his neck. Wyatt raised an eyebrow.

"She does have a small point though. Lindsey's, ah, reaction when she first arrived and saw Chris was certainly unusual" he said. The sisters all sighed.

"It's not our story to tell" Piper said. "If she wants to tell you, she will."

Chris pursed his lips in thought. Seems that there was a lot more to this story than meets the eye.

~0~

Every time the Halliwell family had a family dinner, Chris found himself surprised that the neighbours didn't call the cops on them. This had happened a number of times when demons attacked and the only way they had gotten out of multiple police investigations was because of Darryl and his covering skills. But even Darryl couldn't get them out of it every time. And as a Halliwell family dinner made just about as much noise as a demon attacking did, all through the evening Chris kept expecting the boys in blue to show up at the door. This didn't happen though, which was a good thing because it would have only just added to the chaos. The Halliwell family was _big_.

Along with his mother and father, Melinda, Wyatt and himself, there was also his Aunt Phoebe, her husband Coop who was a Cupid, and their three daughters, PJ or Prudence Johnna, Parker and Penelope or Penny. Aunt Paige's husband Henry, their twins Tamora and Kat and their adopted son Henry Jnr were there as well. Throw in Darryl, his wife and their son and a large mixture of different powers… well you had the definition of bedlam. And Chris loved it. He really couldn't imagine how people with small families had any fun at all.

As the evening progressed, Chris found his eyes being drawn more and more often to the outsider of the bunch. Or at least she was an outsider to the younger generation anyway. He told himself it was only because he wanted to observe how well she handled being within the family. Deep down though, he knew that wasn't true. _It's because she's a beautiful girl. Any man can't help but look at a girl with hair the colour of caramel and Amethyst eyes. Not to mention that body!_ he argued with himself, ignoring the fact that Wyatt didn't seem to be having the same problem. He then told himself off for even thinking about Lindsey that way. Bianca should be the only one he had those type of thoughts for. The one thing he did notice though, was that ever since Lindsey had seen Bianca's ring, she hadn't looked anywhere in his direction at all. Her eyes just seemed to skip straight over him and for some reason, this really irked Chris.

He sighed. He was horribly confused. He definitely wasn't used to being so instantly physically attracted to someone; especially considering he was engaged to the person whom he considered to be the love of his life. He stared at his plate and toyed with his meal as he tried to sort out his thoughts, only tuning back in when PJ asked Lindsey a question.

"So wanna tell us why you came here Lindsey? Seems an awful long way to travel" the 21 year old joked. Conversation died down until Lindsey became the centre of attention. She shifted in her seat.

"Ah… I guess you could say I was told to come" she said with a small smile.

"By who? The Elders?" Wyatt asked and Lindsey shifted again.

"Nooo… by someone else who knew what they were talking about." She sighed. "Look, it's a really long story and I'm quite tired so it's not something I really want to get into at the moment" she said. "Does anyone mind if I call it a night?"

"No that's fine sweetie. You head to bed and we'll see you in the morning" Phoebe said kindly. Lindsey threw her a grateful look, stood up and after a goodnight to everyone, left the dining room. Chris watched her leave before he stood up himself.

"Excuse me" he said and followed the time traveller, missing the way the sisters exchanged a glance as he did.

~0~

Chris quickly made his way up the stairs, catching up with Lindsey in the hall.

"Lindsey wait" he called and the girl froze before she turned to him, her mask firmly in place. She raised her eyebrow at him.

"I, ah, just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seemed pretty upset when you first got here" Chris said, making it up on the spot. In truth, all he wanted to do was get her to look at him. He got his wish as Lindsey stared at him for a couple of seconds before she closed her eyes.

"You're so different" Chris heard her murmur but before he could question her about it, she opened her eyes again and smiled at him. Chris immediately noticed that the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Yes I'm fine. Just tired" she said with next to no emotion in her voice.

"Oh. Well okay then. I guess I'll let you go to bed. Goodnight Lindsey."

"Goodnight Chris" she answered softly and Chris turned around and headed back downstairs, ignoring the way his heart started pounding the second his name lift her lips.

~0~

On the other side of town a very upset and angry phoenix poured herself another whiskey. Damn Chris! Why couldn't he be on her side for once? There was something definitely shifty about that fat giraffe of a girl. She had to be evil. She had to be! No one with such grotesque freaky eyes could ever be on the side of good. She just had to make Chris and everyone else see that. Bianca raised the glass to her lips and blinked a couple of times, trying to get her vision to focus. She wasn't sure how many whiskeys she had had, she just knew that the next one still wouldn't be enough. The alcohol burned as it went down and she was so engrossed in lubricating her insides, she didn't notice the visitor until he cleared his throat. She spun around, nearly losing her balance, and fumbled for her dagger.

"Who the hell are you and what are you doing here?" she slurred. The visitor curled his lip and looked at her in disgust.

"I'm here to make your dreams come true" he purred. Before Bianca could react, he leaned towards her and began whispering in her ear. Sobering up very quickly, the phoenix's eyes widened as he spoke before they hardened with hate.

"That's if you're willing" the visitor, who Bianca didn't, or maybe just chose not to realise was a demon, said. Bianca snorted and threw him an unpleasant smile.

"Oh hell yes I am" she said and the demon smirked cruelly.


	3. And the one bright spot?

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Three – The one bright spot…?

"_That's if you're willing" the visitor, who Bianca didn't, or maybe just chose not to realise was a demon, said. Bianca snorted and threw him an unpleasant smile._

"_Oh hell yes I am" she said and the demon smirked cruelly. _

_**His green eyes blazed at me as he paced the attic, anger and disbelief fairly pumping off him. I watched him warily as he strode up and down. He was like a caged animal just looking for a way to escape and attack. A random thought flew through my head – my god he's sexy when he's riled. I blushed and looked away. No use having thoughts like that. Chris didn't like me, let alone trust me. He'd made that quite clear. **_

"_**Are you completely insane? What the hell were you thinking? Did you actually think I would appreciate you trying to sacrifice yourself for me?" I blinked and turned to look at him again as his agitated tone reached me.**_

"_**It was a dark lighter arrow Chris. You would have been a lot more hurt then I was if it had hit you" I said, my voice full of confusion. I didn't quite understand why he was so angry. "Besides I'm fine now. No harm, no foul." He stared at me in shock.**_

"_**A lot more hurt? God damn it Lindsey, you took that arrow directly through your stomach! And you're only fine now because Leo chose that moment to actually answer me. If he hadn't you would be dead!" he shouted. I scowled at him, starting to get angry myself.**_

"_**But I'm not so there's nothing to worry about! Why are you making such a big deal out of this? I'm not hurt so you can stop acting like child having a temper tantrum!" I shouted back at him.**_

"_**Because I don't like other people taking hits that are meant for me! And I'm not acting like a child! I'm acting the way anyone would when someone gets hurt because of them!"**_

_**I stared angrily up into his spitting eyes. Sometime during our shouting match, the two of us had gravitated towards each other until I was close enough to be in his arms. But I was so angry by this point at his stupid stubbornness, his vicinity to me didn't register. Or at least not much.**_

"_**Well you're just going to have to get used to it because I would do it again if I had to!" I yelled. He growled and grabbed me by the arms.**_

"_**Oh no you won't" he hissed.**_

"_**Yes I will!" I snapped.**_

"_**NO YOU WON'T!" he roared in my face. Instead of intimidating me like it usually would, his anger just infuriated me further.**_

"_**YES I WILL! AND YOU CAN'T STOP-" My enraged shouting was suddenly cut off by Chris's lips. His mouth swooped down to slam onto mine and I went completely still. He was kissing me. Chris was kissing me! His tongue scraped my bottom lip aggressively and a moan rang through the room. Realising that the sound had come from me woke me up. I opened my mouth and began kissing him back eagerly. Then there was a whole mesh of clashing teeth, tangling tongues, grasping hands and some rather embarrassing sounds. Or they would have been embarrassing if I'd been able to concentrate on anything but him and what he was doing to me. The kiss was hot, rough and a little wet and not in the least romantic and it was one of the best things I'd ever experienced. My head and body were drowning in lust and my heart was singing and Chris hauled me even closer as my legs began to give way. **_

"_**Hey guys did you find… oh! I'll just, ah… leave you two alone!"**_

_**Chris froze the instant we heard Phoebe's voice. As the attic door closed behind her, he very quickly pulled away from me and apart from his frantic breathing, didn't make a single sound as he stared at me. I discreetly reached out and braced myself against the stand that carried the Book, not wanting to embarrass myself by collapsing. As I was panting as well, I closed my eyes and tried to take a few deep calming breaths. Once my heart rate had slowed slightly, I opened my eyes again. He was still just staring at me silently.**_

"_**Ah…" I said and then my mouth fell open as Chris orbed away. Just like that. Without even a single word. He was just gone. I stood still for a second in shock and then I sighed, rubbed my face with my hands and went over to lower myself onto the sofa, glad to be off my still shaky legs. Curling up, I rested my head on my arms. I could no longer deny it. I was desperately in love with Chris Halliwell. I loved him and he couldn't even handle kissing me.**_

~0~

Lindsey woke with a start with a heavy pounding heart, the dream slash memory of her and Chris's first kiss still running heavily through her mind. She sighed and stared into the dark as she painfully let it run through again. It had been the beginning, that kiss. Of course she hadn't known that at the time. For a solid two weeks afterwards, Chris had acted like she hadn't existed. He had avoided being in the same room as her as much as possible and when he couldn't manage that, he'd interacted with the sisters but not with her. He wouldn't even look at her. It had taken a date with someone else to get him to acknowledge her existence again. She had decided that she wasn't going to wait around for him. If he didn't want anything to do with her, that was fine. She was going to try to move on with her life. She really hadn't expected his reaction. He'd stormed into P3 with a face like a thunder and had deliberately interrupted her date. He'd dragged her out the back, shouted at her and then proceeded to kiss the bejesus out of her again.

She'd been the one to break off the kiss and leave this time. She'd stared at him in disbelief and then out of nowhere, she'd slapped him. She'd then spun around and exited stage right as fast as she could. Now she was the one avoiding him. His actions had confused her greatly and were hurting her in the process. She'd been positive he hadn't even liked her. More than positive. He'd told her personally that he didn't. Plus it was obvious that he'd regretted kissing her. Why else would he ignore her? But the most recent turn of events, such as him kissing her _again_, were saying something completely different and it had made her head spin. So she'd left, ignoring him when he'd called out and tried to stop her.

He'd caught up with her three days later. He somehow had managed to trick her into coming up to the attic by herself and then he'd trapped her inside the crystal cage. He'd even cast a spell to prevent her from disturbing the crystals. He'd smirked at her as she'd raged at him. Once she'd run out of steam, he'd told her he wasn't going to let her out until they talked. She'd been trapped in that damn cage for two hours. And at first she'd just ignored him. But then he'd started talking and she had eventually started listening and talking as well. She'd left the cage with the knowledge that he did like her. A lot in fact. Too much in his eyes. And those feelings made him feel extremely guilty. His fiancé had only just died a month before and on top of that, there was his mission. He'd said that he couldn't afford to be distracted. But he also couldn't handle Lindsey being with somebody else.

So they had made a deal. They would take it slowly and both of them would try not to expect too much from the other. Lindsey had been happy with that. At least she gotten the guy. The last thing he'd done before he hauled her against him and kissed her again and their relationship had officially begun was try to make her promise not to step in front of an attack again. She'd kissed him back enthusiastically to distract him and had managed to get out of making that promise. Which was a good thing because she would have broken it.

Lindsey sighed and closed her eyes as a single tear ran down her cheek. God she missed him. He was here but he wasn't and the contrast was tearing her apart. And on top of that there was Bianca. They were engaged. She smiled to herself humorously. Even in different timelines, it seems that some things never changed. Bianca had been the one Chris had been engaged to when he'd first arrived from the future to stop Wyatt from turning evil. It was only after she'd betrayed him and then died by Wyatt's hand that his and Lindsey's relationship had changed. But that wasn't likely to happen in this timeline, especially not the Wyatt killing her bit. She blew out a breath and wiped her cheek. She had to stop feeling sorry for herself. She had a decision to make.

It was completely obvious both Chris and Wyatt knew nothing about the original timeline. So did she tell Chris about the baby and everything that went along with it, probably destroying his life in the process? Or did she keep it to herself, become a single mother and deny him the right to his child? Because it was his. Even if a different version of him had fathered him or her, the DNA as still the same. She scowled and shook her head. She had no idea what to do! Deciding that she wasn't going to be able to make this decision without a little help, she got out of bed, put on a robe and headed down to the kitchen. It was only 5am but hopefully Piper still kept bakers hours. Her wishes were granted when she stepped into the kitchen to find one of the women who had helped raise her stirring something on the stove. Piper looked up and smiled at her softly as she entered.

"Morning honey. How are you feeling?" she asked and Lindsey grimaced.

"Like I'm being punched in the heart over and over again" she said bluntly. She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. Neither of them noticed the tinkling, the blue glow under the door or the way the door was pushed in slightly and then stopped.

"God Piper, I knew that there was a high chance he wouldn't remember me but I really wasn't expecting this. I at least thought I'd have the chance to get him to fall for me again but I don't even have that. It's like the rug has been ripped out from under me. I'm not sure if I can handle it." Piper sighed then stepped over to her and gave her a hug.

"I'm really sorry Lindsey. This isn't the way we were hoping things would turn out. I feel like it my fault that you're not getting the ending that you wanted." Lindsey pulled back and looked at her, shocked.

"How is it your fault? You can't control who someone falls for Piper! It's just the way the world turns!"

"Yes but it was our decision not to tell the children about the original timeline. Maybe if we had this would have turned out differently for you." Lindsey frowned.

"What made you decide not to tell them?" she asked. Piper sighed and went back to the stove.

"We were going to when we thought they were old enough and could handle it. But Chris was growing up so differently from the way he described his original childhood. He showed no signs of remembering at all and things between him and Leo were the way they should be. He was a normal little boy. Or as normal as the son of a Charmed One could be. As he got older that didn't change and we put it off more and more, not wanting to damage that in any way. There was no telling what knowing about the other him would have done to his psyche. Then he met Bianca. And since there was no sign of you… well we just decided not to tell him or Wyatt. We thought it would be better that way." Lindsey swallowed hard and nodded.

"Okay that makes sense. Maybe if we had been absolutely positive that the spell was going to work and you were certain I was coming…" Piper looked at her sadly and Lindsey sighed. "Not that it would have made any difference. You did the right thing not telling them. It was healthier that way. But it also means that I'm in a bit of a fix." Her hand drifted down to rest on her stomach. "How the hell do I tell Chris that he's going to be a father when he doesn't even know me or remember the conception? And should I even really tell him in the first place?" Piper looked at her sympathetically.

"Oh hun, I wish I had an answer to that one for you. Being as I'll be the grandmother, I would love if you did tell him, but that's because I want to keep you and the baby in my life-"

"No matter what I decide, both me and my child will still be in your life Piper!"

"I know that but I would love to be able to publically claim the baby as my grandchild" she said. Lindsey groaned.

"I would love that as well but if I tell him, it will probably basically end the life he has now! He and Bianca are, ah…" She took a deep breath and pushed away the pain even thinking the word caused. "They're e-engaged and I don't want to be a home wreaker. I also don't want him resenting me for breaking them up. On the other hand, I can't not tell him. It's his child! Jesus, what am I going to do?!" She dropped her head into her hands. Piper pursed her lips.

"Did you ever think that telling him might turn out to be a good thing? None of the family think that Bianca and him are really all that good together you know. Sure, they were in love at first but now I think he's just holding on to something that was extinguished quite a while ago. Maybe this will give the opportunity to break free of her." Lindsey groaned again.

"Oh god, please don't say that! You'll just get my hopes up and then it'll be even harder if it turns out not to be true!" Piper shrugged.

"Hey I'm just throwing it out there. You never know. And anyway, why do you have to make a decision now? You're, what, only about five or so weeks right?" Lindsey nodded in puzzlement.

"How do you know that?" she asked. Piper raised an eyebrow.

"We used to all live in the same house together Linds, and we shared many things. I'm sure I wasn't the only who noticed one of us jumping out of whack. I'm just the only one who put it all together. So you're just over a month along. That's still pretty early. You won't even start showing for another month or so, maybe longer with your build. You've got time yet before you absolutely have to make a decision" Lindsey smiled weakly.

"Are you trying to tell me that I'm fat?" she half joked and Piper frowned.

"You're still not insecure about that are you? Lindsey you were never fat. You're statuesque, maybe leaning a little towards voluptuous. That's no way near fat!"

"I know, I know. But when you're teased most of your childhood and teenage years, it's hard to let go of. Especially if you're eleven, already five foot and, ah, developing shall we say, quite a lot and quite early. Plus there's the eyes. I've been called a freak most of life. It's a difficult thing to let go of."

"Then you needed to tell the immature dolts to get their own life and to stop worrying about yours! It's clear they were just jealous. You shouldn't be letting it get to you still!" an exasperated voice said from the doorway. Both Piper and Lindsey spun around in shock to see Melinda standing there with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" she asked as she wandered into the kitchen. "I was just telling the truth. Of course they were jealous. Frankly I'd kill to have a body like yours Lindsey. I've got no curves at all. I'm straight up and down which is rather annoying when you look at my mother, aunts and cousins." She sat down beside Lindsey at the island in the middle of the room and gave her a wide smile.

"So. You're in love with Chris and you're pregnant to him but he's not our Chris and now you don't know whether to tell him or not because it could mess him up as well as Wyatt. Busy couple of days for you it seems. Now what are you going to do about it and how can I help?"

Lindsey's mouth fell open and Melinda just sat there with an expectant expression on her face. Lindsey frantically turned to Piper who sighed and then shrugged. They'd obviously been overheard and there was nothing they could do about it. Lindsey closed her eyes for a second and then turned back to the 19 year old.

"Please don't tell anyone. It's not something I want released to the public at the moment" she pleaded softly. Melinda scoffed.

"As if I would. I just said I'd try to help you didn't I? Not that I can probably do much apart from be your friend but I can try" she said. Lindsey smiled gratefully.

"Thank you Melinda" she said. The younger girl grinned and punched her lightly on the shoulder.

"Anytime amigo. Oh and my friends call me Mel."

~0~

Three weeks later, Lindsey still hadn't made her decision. It was an incredibly hard thing to decide. There were very large cons on both sides of the issue. But she knew she would have to decide soon. She was nearly two months along. In another few weeks she wouldn't have a choice. It was rather hard to hide a baby bump.

She spent her days trying to establish a life for herself in the future. It was hard to get a job or to sign up for schooling when there were no records of you anywhere. She also spent a lot of time with the sisters and the younger generation. She got particularly close with PJ and Tamora, whom she was told to call Tammy. She became quite friendly with Wyatt as well. She liked the idea of teaching at Magic School and when he was around, she was forever grilling him about it. No one apart from Melinda and Piper knew about the baby though. She didn't want it to become common knowledge until she had decided what to do. And Melinda was always there to pry her out of the pool of depressing thoughts she sometimes swam in, which Lindsey was extremely grateful for. When she questioned her about why she was around so much, the girl had grinned and winked at her and said that her college course was quite flexible. She'd then laughed at her mother's frown. Lindsey had smiled and shaken her head at that comment. Sometimes Mel was so like Phoebe that it was uncanny.

She saw Chris and Bianca the least. The two of them lived on the other side of the city and only really popped over when they needed something from the Book or when Piper nagged them. Lindsey was happy about that. She loved seeing Chris when he did show up but it also hurt her as well. So she hardly ever saw him and saw Bianca even less. Which meant she was completely surprised when she was in the attic one day and said phoenix shimmered in. Lindsey frowned and hurried over to her, her kind nature kicking in as Bianca seemed to sway on the spot.

"Are you okay?" she asked her in concern. "What happened? Were you attacked?"

Bianca tore her arm out of Lindsey's grip and scowled blearily at her.

"Lego o me. Course I'm okay. I don't nee your hel-p" she slurred. Lindsey's eyes widened.

"Are you drunk?" she asked incredulously. Bianca continued to scowl and Lindsey sighed. "Does Chris know that you're here?"

"Don't care. Here to talk to y-you. Warn you. Bet-ter stay away from m-my man freak" she mumbled. Lindsey's mouth fell open.

"I'm going to go get you something to sober you up. I don't think Chris would approve of what you're doing at the moment" she head and headed towards the door, ignoring the "hey!" from behind her. She had just reached the top of the stairs when Bianca stopped her dead.

"Don't you walk away from m-me! Who are you to tell me what Chris would approve of? H-he's my fian – fianc – we're engaged! You mean nothing to him!" she growled as Lindsey gasped and choked at the arm buried in her back. The pain was huge and she could feel herself losing consciousness. Bianca stepped closer, twisted her arm and muttered venomously into her ear.

"You shouldn't have come here little girl. He's mine and you'll never have him. You shouldn't even exist at all!" she snarled and with a heavy push forward, jerked her hand from Lindsey's back, sending the weakened girl tumbling head of ankle down the stairs. The last thing Lindsey was aware of thinking before her head struck the wall and she passed out completely was _my baby!_

~0~

Lindsey woke painfully and immediately knew something was wrong. Ignoring the frantic shouts Piper and Melinda were making to Wyatt, she slowly moved her hand down to her stomach, closed her eyes and concentrated.

"Wyatt you get down here now!" Piper's voice rang out and in a swirl of orbs, he appeared and hurried over to the crowd on the floor. He immediately began to heal her.

"Her stomach Wyatt! Concentrate on her stomach!" Melinda said urgently. Wyatt frowned but did what he was told. After a second he turned back to the panicked pair.

"There's nothing there to heal" he said in confusion. Melinda moaned

"There has to be! She's pregnant Wyatt!" Piper all but shouted. "Try again!"

At Piper's words, Lindsey opened her eyes and stared dully at the blood that was slowly spreading between her legs.

"No I'm not" she whispered, bringing everyone's attention to her. "It's gone. My baby is gone."


	4. Extinguished flame

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Four – Extinguished flame.

"_No I'm not" she whispered, bringing everyone's attention to her. "It's gone. My baby is gone."_

There was a buzzing in Lindsey's head. The sound was slowly getting louder and louder, filling her mind and thoughts until it was almost the only thing she could hear. It drowned out the slow steady beat of her heart, a heart that had no right beating so solidly. It drowned out the profuse apologies from Wyatt for not answering his mother's call sooner. And as it quickly flowed down, becoming solid and invading other parts of her body, it drowned out the sight of Melinda's tears as they slipped silently down her cheeks. Somewhere behind the awful buzzing, TV reception-like fuzziness, Lindsey knew that she was going into shock, but at that moment she really couldn't bring herself to care. All she could do was stare at the blood spreading out from between her thighs. It became the centre of her world. Her everything. No, her everything was gone. Slipped away. Out of her. No longer here. And there was nothing she could do about it.

Time meant nothing to her, so she had no idea how long she sat there. She was aware of Melinda wrapping her arms around her and of Piper trying to encourage her to get up and head to her bedroom so Wyatt could heal her other injuries. She ignored them both. As other members of the family arrived and figured out what was going on, she stayed right where she was. Vacant and unmoving. That is until the stairs to the attic creaked under the weight of a person descending them. Her head whipped up like a wolf catching a scent and her eyes slammed into Bianca as the phoenix stepped tentatively into view.

"Oh Jesus Jesus. Oh My God. Oh Lindsey, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. It was an accident. I swear it was an accident!" Bianca blubbered as horror and disbelief twisted her features.

_She should get an Academy Award for that performance_ Lindsey thought distantly as she slowly pulled out of the supposedly comforting arms that surrounded her and pushed herself to her feet. Her body screamed a protest as she did so, but she ignored it. Her eyes remained zeroed on Bianca and slowly the buzzing that was numbing her began to pull back and be replaced by another, much more violent emotion.

"You killed my baby" she whispered. At her words, all conversation in the hall ceased. Bianca gasped and closed her eyes.

"I swear to everything that is holy Lindsey, I didn't mean to do it. I grabbed you to stop you from leaving and maybe I was a little angry, but I didn't realise how close you were to the top of the stairs! I didn't realise that my pulling away would leave you without support! I tried to reach for you as you fell. I really did!" She turned to the audience with a beseeching look on her face. "Please believe me! It was an accident!"

Piper frowned and opened her mouth to speak but was cut off before she could.

"You killed my baby."

Lindsey's voice was once again no louder than a whisper, but this time her words came out in a menacing hiss that seemed to ring through the hallway. Her eyes stayed locked on the phoenix and as Phoebe stepped forward and began whispering to her that it had been an accident and she needed to lie down, she finally saw what she was looking for. A flicker behind the older women's tragic facade. A burst of pride. A small swell of self-congratulations. A fucking _smirk._

Lindsey snapped. Outwardly she remained calm and collected, still focused solely on her adversary but inside, the immense gifts that she usually kept under lock and key began to swirl and bubble and seep through her consciousness. And for once, she let them. As the ground under her feet began to tremble, one thought poured through her mind.

Revenge.

She lifted her hand and with a slight crook of her fingers, two large vines shot up through the floor, spraying debris everywhere, and wrapped themselves tightly around Bianca's arms. The vines dragged her back and slammed her into the wall, trapping her. Bianca gasped in shock and pain as her body was hammered back into the very hard surface and then even that sound was cut off as another vine zoomed through the floor to wrap around the phoenix's throat.

"Lindsey no!" Piper shouted as she lunged forward to stop the seemingly murderous girl. She was unable to get any further than a few steps though, as suddenly a wall of wind appeared in front of her and gently pushed her back. After a number of tries, the Charmed Ones and their children began to realise that none of their considerable powers could breach the obstruction. Even the Twice Blessed Wyatt couldn't push his way through the wall. Lindsey smiled. No one could reach her and no one could stop her. It was just her and the woman who had killed her baby. Just the way it should be.

Lindsey stared into Bianca's eyes as the vine slowly began to choke her. She laughed hollowly as she read, apart from fear, the other major emotion in the phoenix's eyes.

"Wondering how I'm doing this bitch?" she cooed venomously as she stared at her enemy. "Did you forget that I can control the four elements? That when I want them to, they answer to me and do my bidding? Earth, Air, Fire, Water. All mine to control. Makes me pretty powerful don't you think? More than powerful enough to end your pitiful life if I wanted to. And believe me, at the moment that's something I _really _want to do."

Bianca began to open and close her mouth repeatedly and Lindsey cocked her head, wondering what she was up to. She soon realised that the phoenix was trying to talk. Lindsey grinned at her as Bianca tried again and again to speak past the vine around her throat. She finally took pity on her and loosened the plant.

"Huh? What's that? Come on now, speak up!" she said with a slightly insane chuckle. As she said this, deep inside her an alarm began to ring. Lindsey knew her limits very well, and she knew that if she didn't reign in her powers soon, they would overwhelm her. Her crazy meandering conversations were the one of the first signs. She could keep it going for a little while longer though so she looked at her prey expectantly.

"Got something to say bitch?" she asked the woman being held against the wall pleasantly. "Going to beg for your life?"

Bianca opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, cleared her throat and then croaked out a single word.

"Chris!"

~0~

Chris raised his head as his fiancé's call echoed through his mind. As he was in the middle of a very busy saturday lunch shift, he considered ignoring it. But knowing that if he did, she'd just keep calling until he showed up and give him an earful about it later, meaning that once again he'd be sleeping on the sofa. So he asked his fellow barman to cover for him, headed into the back room and orbed to his fiancé's side. The sight that met him when the orb cloud cleared shocked the hell out of him. Not only did he nearly fall over due to the ground shaking beneath him, Bianca was also being held up against the wall by what looked like two lengths of plant and had another one wrapped around her neck. On the other side of the hall, his mother and aunts, Wyatt, Melinda, PJ and Tammy were desperately pushing and using powers against something that was, going by the amount of breeze in the hallway, a wall of wind. The wind seemed spread across the ceiling and he suddenly wondered how he'd orbed in. It would have been too dangerous to orb through that blockage. His thoughts were cut off as he saw the cause of all the drama. Standing directly in front of him with her hand raised, her long thick curls waving out behind her and blood staining her jeans, was Lindsey.

Chris gulped as he stared at her. Power seemed to be streaming out of her pores. It coated the air around her, swam over her skin, made her hair dance and whirled in her eyes, turning them a deep dark purple. He shuddered as he stared into those dark pools. His mouth went dry and desire pumped hotly through his veins. She was magnificent. Absolutely completely glorious. And he wanted her desperately.

Chris shuddered again and closed his eyes as images flew through his mind. As these visions were completely unfamiliar to him, he pushed them aside. He shook his head and frowned. _What the hell are you thinking! Now's not the time to be lusting after someone! Especially when that someone is clearly trying to kill your fiancé!_ he shouted at himself. The self-beratement helped clear away the last of the fog, as did a few deep shaky breaths. Once he was settled again and had his reactions back under control, he opened his eyes and took a step towards the obviously very powerful witch.

"Lindsey, what are you doing?" he asked warily. The girls eyes flicked to him quickly and then went straight back to Bianca.

"She took something from me. Something that was important and she _killed_ it!" Lindsey snarled viciously. Beside him, Bianca whimpered. Chris frowned again.

"What did she kill?" he asked, confused. Lindsey closed her eyes and moaned softly, the sound full of pain.

"She killed my baby" she whispered brokenly and the blood on the thighs of Lindsey's jeans suddenly made sense. Chris gasped. Lindsey was pregnant? No, she had been pregnant. And apparently her not being anymore was somehow Bianca's fault.

"Chris I swear that it was an accident! I was holding her arm and I let her go and she fell down the stairs! I didn't realise that she was balancing on the top step! I didn't even know she was pregnant!" Bianca gasped out frantically.

"LIAR!" Lindsey bellowed and twitched her fingers. The vine around Bianca's throat tightened considerably and the phoenix began to choke again. Chris did the only thing he could think of. He jumped forward, slightly surprised when Lindsey didn't attempt to stop him, and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Lindsey stop! You have to stop this! You are not this person. You don't kill. No matter what you think she's done, you can't do this. It's our Rede Lindsey. You remember our Rede?"

Chris had no idea where the words came from. Or how he knew that the witch in front of him lived by the Wiccan Rede. He just knew that what he was saying was right. Lindsey blinked and stared at him in bewilderment.

"Come on Lindsey, what is our Rede?" Chris asked urgently and gave her a little shake in frustration. She blinked again.

"And Harm None" she whispered and Chris sighed in relief.

"Yes that's right. Unless in defence, And Harm None. It's very important to you isn't it? Not to hurt an innocent?" He quickly cut her off as she scowled and opened her mouth to argue.

"I know you think Bianca isn't innocent but if you do what you want to do, you'll regret it later. Plus then you'll have to face the family. Can you handle all that disappointment?"

Chris cringed inwardly as he manipulated the girl's feelings. He knew she wouldn't be able to cope with the disapproval of his family. Once again, he had no idea how he knew this. But it was another thing he was suddenly very positive of. As he watched the emotions run through her eyes, he realised that she was weakening. But not fast enough. Behind them, Bianca made another desperate gasping sound and fear spiked through him.

"Lindsey please! Don't kill her. She's my fiancé and I love her. Please don't kill the woman I love."

As he said this, Chris felt Lindsey go very very still. He heard her moan softly again and she closed her eyes. Then with a small sigh, she lowered her arm. The ground slowly ceased its movement and the vines holding Bianca lowered as well. Once she was on the ground, Lindsey flicked her fingers and they shot back through the floor, leaving three rather large holes. She gave a small wave behind her and the wall of wind evaporated, sending Wyatt tumbling to the floor. She then took a deep breath and the magic in the air seemed to suck straight back into her until the atmosphere was normal again. She opened her eyes and Chris cursed silently as he physically watched her mask slide back into place. She turned towards Bianca as the older woman lay curled up on the floor, gasping for breath. Once she had recovered herself a bit, Bianca got to her feet and would have leapt towards Lindsey if Chris hadn't been anticipated it and held her back. Lindsey watched her dully.

"Keep her away from me" she whispered in a lifeless voice before she turned around and ignoring the stunned and sympathetic crowd in front of her, limped towards her bedroom. She closed the door behind her, the click of the lock very loud in the silent hallway.

~0~

Chris stared at the closed door for a long moment before an explosion from Bianca drew him back to the present.

"Why the hell did you just let her go like that?! She tried to kill me! She's a menace! An insane, dangerous menace! Her powers need to be bound immediately!" she shouted – or tried to shout through a very raw angry throat. Phoebe frowned, her eyes on the closed door as well.

"She doesn't need to be bound. She usually has her gifts under very strict control. But today… well you can't imagine what it's like to go through something like that. To lose a child. It's one of the most painful things in the world. And with her genes, the situation's even worse" she said quietly. "I guarantee she'll regret what she did to you as soon as she calms down some."

"I don't care if she regrets it or not! She just did her best to take my life! Over something that was an accident!" Bianca abruptly turned to Chris. "Why the hell didn't you blast her as soon as you orbed in?! You saw what she was doing! You could have stopped her attack straight away with your damn Elder bolts! Instead you decided to talk her down while she was choking me to death!" she snarled furiously.

Chris blinked. Why hadn't he attacked her when first saw what was going on? If it had been anyone else he wouldn't even have hesitated, but with Lindsey the thought hadn't even crossed his mind. All he could think of was that he needed to talk her out of doing something that would ultimately destroy her. He'd thought nothing of taking the easy way out and maybe preventing Bianca some pain.

"I, ah, didn't want to cause any more damage to the house" he said, shifting guiltily. As Bianca snorted in disgust, he reached over to raise her chin so he could see her neck. She jerked away angrily but not before his saw the bloody red vine burns surrounding it.

"Wyatt" he called quietly as even more guilt swam through him. "Can you come here? Bianca needs to be healed." The phoenix scoffed.

"Oh screw you! I don't need your saint of a brother to heal me! I wouldn't even need to be healed in the first place if that freak hadn't attacked me! And you're all just letting her get away with it!" She began to pace angrily. "I'm sick of this! I'm supposed to be part of this family and yet you're all supporting a stranger who showed up out of nowhere instead of me! Well go ahead, see if I care. I'm out of here!" She stopped and turned to glare at Chris. "I don't want to see you until you've got your priorities sorted. And if you know what's good for you, I better be the one who comes up golden!" And with that she was gone.

Chris groaned quietly. This was going to be a hell of a mess to sort out with her. One of the things Bianca could do really well was hold a grudge. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed before turning to his family. Paige smiled at him sympathetically.

"So downstairs everyone? Getting a little crowded up here don't you think?" she said with a sweep of her hand.

"What about Lindsey?" Tammy said with a worried frown. "Should she really be left alone?"

"I think having a little alone time is what's best for her at the moment. She needs to grieve in private. Don't worry, we won't leave her too long" Phoebe said as she rubbed her daughters' arm in comfort. The three young Halliwell females exchanged a glance before they sighed, threw a last glance towards Lindsey's door and then turned and headed downstairs, everyone else following.

~0~

"So what did you mean when you said losing the baby was worse for Lindsey, Aunt Phoebe?" Melinda asked as they all settled in the parlour. Phoebe grimaced.

"Well that's sort of a long story" she said. Wyatt raised an eyebrow at her.

"We've got time" he said. "You need to tell us something. She displayed a pretty extraordinary amount of power back there. If she's going to do that every time, we need to be prepared." The Charmed Ones looked at each other.

"She won't do it every time. She can't. Using all of her power all at once like that is very dangerous. Not so much for the people around her, because even when she's using it she still has control of it, but more for her. If she lets her power out for a lengthy amount of time, there's a high chance it could overwhelm and overtake her. Then we've got something to worry about. It's the reason she doesn't usually use the full amount of power she possesses" Piper explained. Tammy looked puzzled.

"I've never heard of a witch's power overtaking her" the 20 year old said.

"That's because Lindsey isn't an ordinary witch. She's a Ravenblood" Paige said.

Chris gasped. A Ravenblood? My God, no wonder she was so powerful!

"What's a Ravenblood?" Mel asked curiously. Tammy looked confused as well but both Wyatt and PJ had shocked looks on their faces. Piper frowned at her daughter.

"You should know this missy. A Ravenblood is a diverse family of witches who descend from the Queen of the Irish elemental sprites. She was one of the oldest elementals and she was very powerful. Because she was Queen, she could control all four elements instead of focusing on just one. She had violet eyes and her hair was as black as a raven feather. The locals called her Brannagh, which is a feminine version of the Irish name Bran, meaning raven. The stories of her and the female child she conceived with a male witch spread far and wide and eventually her name was changed to Raven as it was easier for foreigners to pronoun. The child was called a Ravenblood and the name stuck and carried down through the generations."

"So Lindsey is descended from royalty?" Tammy asked in wonder. Phoebe nodded and took over the story.

"Every generation has a child born where the elemental blood shows up strongly but Lindsey is the most in touch with that side of her heritage since Brannagh's daughter herself. Her parents knew she was going to be powerful as soon as she was born. The colour of her eyes comes directly from the Queen and shows just how dominant her elemental blood is. It also put her in danger. They tried their best to keep her safe when she was a child, even ending up sacrificing themselves for her." Chris's eyes grew wide.

"Lindsey's parents were killed by demons?" he asked quietly. Piper looked at him and then nodded.

"By evil, yes. Her mother was killed when she was a baby. And she lost her father on her fourteenth birthday. Lindsey thinks Prue convinced Grams to take her in after that, but Grams was going to do it anyway. The Elders weren't going to let such a powerful witch end up on the streets without someone to guide her. It was too dangerous for her and they didn't want evil to have a chance to influence her either."

"Wow. So Lindsey's basically half elemental sprite then" Mel said with a look of excitement on her face. "How cool is that!"

"It's not all cool Melinda. She's had a very hard life because of her blood. And now she's lost the only chance she had to have a biological child. There's nothing cool about that" Piper said softly. Chris froze.

"What are you talking about?" Mel demanded and Paige sighed sadly.

"It's the other thing that was passed down through the generations from Brannagh. A rival Queen put a curse on Brannagh so that she could only ever conceive, carry and birth a single child in her lifetime. The curse was meant to make her totally barren but Brannagh realised what was happening and was able to prevent it. She was unable to stop it completely though, and the curse was passed down to her descendants. Every female of the Ravenblood line only has one chance to have a child naturally. When Lindsey lost the baby… well she lost her chance to be a biological mother as well. She is now essentially infertile."

As the three young woman gasped in shock and pain for their friend, Chris closed his eyes. Lindsey couldn't have any children. Dear God. Bianca had no idea what she'd done.

~0~

The cause of the mayhem at the Halliwell Manor shimmered into the dark dank cave and looked around expectantly until she spotted who she was looking for. She smiled and walked over the demon who looked at her with his eyebrow raised in question.

"Well? Did you get it?" he asked impatiently and Bianca nodded.

"Yeah I did. I don't understand why I couldn't just kill it" she said. The demon glowered at her.

"You're not meant to understand witch! You're just meant to do what you're told! This gets rid of your problem anyway so quit your complaining and give me the bottle!" he snarled. Bianca scowled.

"You'd be complaining as well if that bitch had almost strangled you to death" she muttered as she rubbed her neck gingerly.

"GIVE ME THE BOTTLE!" the demon roared. Bianca held up her hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay keep your hair on!" she said as she pulled out a small hour-glass shaped bottle with a stopper in the top and intricate designs covering it. Apart from the designs, the bottle would have been clear if it wasn't for the faint golden glow coming from inside it. The demon snatched it out of her hand and looked at it eagerly before flicking his eyes to the phoenix.

"You've got what you wanted. The child is no longer in yours and your lovers' lives. Now go before I decide to go back on my word and kill you anyway" he said dismissively.

As Bianca shimmered away with a very pleased expression on her face, the demon held the bottle up to her eye and shook it. The golden glow flared briefly, making the bottles designs glow as well. He smiled.

"Ah, the offspring of a Halliwell and a Ravenblood. One of the most powerful combinations the magical world will ever see. And when I raise you as evil, you'll help me to rule over it all!" he said with an evil grin. As he continued to stare at the glow, a very determined expression crossed face.

"And now to find you an incubator."


	5. Jumping the track

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Five – Jumping the track.

"_Ah, the offspring of a Halliwell and a Ravenblood. One of the most powerful combinations the magical world will ever see. And when I raise you as evil, you'll help me to I'll rule over it all!" he said with an evil grin. As he continued to stare at the glow, a very determined expression crossed face._

"_And now to find you an incubator." _

Lindsey knew she was dreaming. She tossed and turned on the bed, trying her best to wake herself up. But no matter what she did, she couldn't escape reliving one of the most painful days of her life…

_**I stood beside Chris as he flipped through the Book.**_ _**We had searched through it many times but he had insisted on looking again, just encase we had missed something. I knew we hadn't but I also knew that there was no stopping Chris when he had made up his mind about something. He growled in frustration when he got to the end before turning the Book over and starting again.**_

"_**There's got to be something in here" he muttered as he flipped pages.**_

"_**Honey, you know there isn't" I said quietly. "Why don't you give it a rest?"**_

"_**I'd really like to be able to prevent a great evil from happening if I can!" he snapped. I folded my lips in annoyance and then crossed my arms and raised my eyebrow at him. He sighed and ran his hand through his hair.**_

"_**Sorry" he mumbled. "I shouldn't be taking it out on you."**_

"_**No you shouldn't be. You should be focusing all your energy on keeping Wyatt safe. Isn't that what we're here for?"**_

_**Chris looked over at his two year old older brother who at the moment was leaning against the side of his playpen, watching us curiously. I glanced over as well and smiled. With his unruly blond curls and sweet smile, he really was the cutest thing around.**_

"_**Yeah it's what we're here for but I think that if we can-"**_

_**He abruptly stopped talking as a floor board squeaked. We both frantically searched the room and found nothing. I frowned, worry running through me. We listened for a few seconds but didn't hear anything else so Chris started flipping again.**_

"_**If we could just-"**_

_**A floor board squeaked again, louder this time. Chris and I exchanged a worried glance before he hurried over to the playpen and looked around the attic suspiciously.**_

"_**Okay, it's time to get you out of here. Come on, let's go" he said to me and bent to pick Wyatt up. He never made it though, as he suddenly left the ground, flung backwards through the air to crash into a bunch of boxes and a chair on the other side of the room.**_

"_**Chris!" I cried as fear ran through me. I rushed towards Wyatt but stopped suddenly when Gideon appeared out of thin air in front of the playpen. He raised his hand and twisted his fingers and all of a sudden I couldn't move. At all. I was frozen in place. Gideon smiled in satisfaction before his head whipped towards Chris as, after a quick glance towards me to see if I was okay, he painfully got to his feet. Gideon frowned.**_

"_**Don't make me sacrifice you both" he said before he turned to Wyatt. The little boy looked up at him innocently. Gideon breathed in deeply and raised his arms. He was suddenly flying as Chris waved his arm and TK'ed him across the room. He landed with a thump but it didn't keep him down for long. His head came up and he stared at Chris with a very dark expression on his face. He raised his hand and a knife appeared in it before he vanished. Panic exploded on Chris's face and he shot towards Wyatt. Time seemed to slow down after that. Gideon appeared again as Chris was running. I screamed in my mind as Gideon halted Chris's forward motion by plunging the knife into his stomach. **_

_**No. No no no no no! Oh god Chris no! I screamed repeatedly in my head as Chris gasped and fell to his knees and Gideon pulled the knife out. I struggled urgently against the freeze but even I couldn't defeat an Elder's power.**_

"_**Dad" Chris called out weakly, his voice full of pain and desperation. He collapsed onto the floor and Gideon turned towards Wyatt. He got to his feet.**_

_**No stop! I cried silently. Leave him alone! He's just a baby! My words didn't leave my mind and I could do nothing as Gideon picked Wyatt up. Chris groaned and Leo suddenly orbed in beside him.**_

"_**Oh god" he mumbled as he knelt down beside Chris and turned him over.**_

"_**Wyatt" Chris moaned and Leo turned towards the playpen to see Gideon holding Wyatt.**_

"_**It's for the best Leo" Gideon said before he orbed away. Leo looked stunned. Chris groaned again and Leo turned back to his other son.**_

"_**Chris, Chris" he said. Chris gasped in pain.**_

"_**Lindsey" he said weakly, his bleary eyes open and focused on me. I stared back at him desperately. Leo frowned and followed his son's gaze. His eyes opened wide in surprise when he saw me. He waved his hand and I could move again. I rushed over to Chris's side and took his hand.**_

"_**Heal him!" I said urgently and Leo raised his hands to the wound. A golden glow appeared from them. A second past, and then two, and then three but Chris wasn't getting any better. The wound wasn't even starting to heal. Chris moaned softly and closed his eyes.**_

"_**Why isn't it working?!" I cried frantically and Leo shook his head.**_

"_**I don't know. Maybe it's because it's here" he said. I frowned, not understanding but before I could ask, Leo put his hand on Chris's shoulder and orbed. My mouth fell open and a small shriek of frustration escaped my lips. I jumped to my feet and ran full tilt out of the attic and down the stairs.**_

"_**Leo! LEO!" I shouted as ran down the hallway.**_

"_**In here" he called from Piper's room. I stormed in and scowled at him as he raised his hands to Chris's wound again.**_

"_**You could have orbed me as well!" I snapped and Leo threw me an apologetic look. Chris grinned weakly at me.**_

"_**You know, you're really hot when you're pissed" he said faintly and my gaze switched to him. I rushed to his side and reached over to brush his hair off his forehead.**_

"_**I thought I was really hot all the time" I teased him and he laughed and then groaned. As I took his hand and raised it to my lips to kiss it softly, he turned to Leo.**_

"_**You have to find Wyatt" he said as the golden healing glow began to once again stream from Leo's hands.**_

"_**We're going to find him together" Leo answered him firmly and then shook his hands as if to try to make them heal harder. Chris shook his head.**_

"_**It won't work, you've already tried" he said between pants of pain. "Gideon's magic did this to me. He's the only one who can stop it." He pushed Leo's hands away.**_

"_**Go. Saving Wyatt saves the future, you know that" he said. **_

"_**Gideon doesn't know how to kill Wyatt remember, we still have time" Leo said and Chris shook his head again.**_

"_**Only till the trauma turns him."**_

"_**I'm not going to choose between you and Wyatt, Chris I can't!" Leo said and once again Chris shook his head.**_

"_**You don't have to Dad. Find Gideon. It'll save us both."**_

_**Leo looked torn and then his expression firmed as he made his decision. **_

"_**Alright. Alright but I'm not leaving you alone. I'll be right back" he said and got to his feet. As I frowned in confusion and disbelief, Chris looked puzzled as well.**_

"_**Where are you going?" he asked. "I'm not alone. I have Lindsey."**_

"_**To get one of your aunts to watch over you as well. I know you have Lindsey, but you need family with you."**_

"_**Lindsey is family" Chris said softly and I smiled and kissed his hand again.**_

"_**Well the more family the better. You're going to be fine okay, I promise" Leo said before he leaned over and kissed Chris on the head. He stood back up and began to orb away, only to be stopped by me.**_

"_**Wait! You're leaving? What about Chris? You have to heal him!" I cried and Chris turned to me painfully.**_

"_**He has to go Linds. He can't heal me at the moment. He has to go find Wyatt and stop Gideon."**_

_**I stared at him before turning back to Leo.**_

"_**So you're just going to give up? Your son is lying here dying and you're not going to stay longer and try to heal him again?" I said, my voice full of incredulity. Outside, lightning cracked across the bright blue sky. Chris reached over and folded his other hand around our joined ones. He turned towards Leo.**_

"_**Go. I'll take care of this" he said. Leo nodded before glancing at me guiltily and orbing away. I watched him go with my mouth open before Chris drew my attention again.**_

"_**You know he has to do this Lindsey" he said and I frowned and shook my head.**_

"_**What he should be doing is healing you!" I growled and Chris sighed.**_

"_**No matter how hard he tries, it isn't going to work. I'm going to die honey. There's nothing anyone can do about it" he whispered. I gasped.**_

"_**No. No! You are not going to die! Stop talking like that!" I said frantically. Chris tightened his grip on our hands.**_

"_**I'm only being realistic Lindsey. This wound can't be healed. I'm losing blood really quickly. Plus little me is about to be born. I don't think it's possible for two of the same person to co-exist in one reality." He coughed weakly. "No, I'm going to die. And you're going to deal with it. You're going to deal with it and then you're going to come to the future where I'll be waiting for you."**_

_**I wiped my wet cheeks and sniffed. "We were meant to go back together Chris! The Angel of Destiny said I could but he meant for the both of us to go! If I go back by myself and meet you, you won't know me! You won't know who I am!" Chris shook his head stubbornly.**_

"_**Yes I will. I promise you I will. I love you Linds and I would never forget you. I can't. It isn't possible. Coming back here was the best decision I've ever made because I got to meet you. So you're going to come to the future and we're going to get married and live happily ever after." I laughed through my tears and Chris grinned weakly at me again. **_

"_**Sorry. Been reading far too many fairy tales to Wyatt" he said and I laughed again.**_

"_**No I like it. Happily ever after sounds wonderful" I said. "Shove over. This bed's big enough for two you know." Chris smirked and I hit his shoulder lightly as I slid onto the bed and curled around him.**_

"_**You're a little weak for any type of bed sport at the moment Christopher Halliwell" I said. He smiled.**_

"_**I could take that as a challenge you know" he said and then gasped loudly in pain.**_

"_**Shh shh. Just hold on. Leo will be back soon" I whispered as I stroked his hair. "He'll be back and-"**_

_**I broke off and sat up as the door was flung open and cops with guns, Darryl and Sheridan burst into the room. They spread around the bed and pointed their weapons at us.**_

"_**What are you doing?!" I cried as Darryl stepped up to the bed. Out in the hallway, I heard what sounded like Paige call for Leo.**_

"_**We're here to take Chris in. Though it doesn't look like we need to. I'm sorry Lindsey" he said sadly as he called for everyone to stand down. I looked at Chris as they left the room. His eyes were closed, his face covered with sweat and he barely seemed to be breathing. I shook in shoulder in fear and he opened his eyes very slowly. I began to cry again as Leo rushed into the room, Paige leaning against the doorway behind him.**_

"_**Chris" he said as he crouched down beside the bed.**_

"_**Hey" Chris answered in a faint voice.**_

"_**Hey. I'm here now. You can hold on. Okay? Hold on. I'm here, you can hold on okay?" he said frantically as he began stroking Chris's hair. Chris nodded, his face incredibly sad.**_

"_**Don't give up okay" Leo said.**_

"_**You either" Chris whispered as he stared into his father's eyes. He turned to me. **_

"_**I love you. Come to the future. I'll be waiting" he whispered and I lowered my forehead onto his chest.**_

"_**I love you too" I whispered brokenly. Chris turned back to Leo and smiled at him before he closed his eyes.**_

"_**No. No no no please" Leo said as Chris's breathing slowed down to nothing. "No. No please!"**_

_**My body shook with my silent sobs as I felt Chris's life force leave him. Leo continued to beg for a few seconds before he began to cry as well. He lowered his head onto the mattress and then we both raised our heads in shock as we felt Chris begin to fade away until his body was gone. Just gone. As Leo spread himself over the bed, frantically searching it, I pulled back and stared vacantly at the empty mattress, a giant storm thundering outside the window. Chris was dead. He was dead. And we didn't even have a body to bury so we could say goodbye properly. I closed my eyes and my heart shattered, leaving only a deadened hole behind it.**_

~0~

Lindsey moaned and opened her eyes. The pillow beneath her was soaked with her tears. She sat up and put her head in her hands. Why? Why did her brain make her relive that? And at a time like this? She sighed and wiped her cheeks. She knew why. Her heart was aching and her emotions were raw. Her subconscious had played on that, bringing up Chris's death because of the way she was feeling. Well if she was going to dream that every time she slept, she just wouldn't sleep. Not if she had to relive it over and over.

Lindsey sighed again and got off the bed with a groan of pain. She'd had a shower when she'd first got to her room and she'd seen the bruises covering her body. At the moment she had more purple and black then she had clear skin. It had been a hell of a fall. No wonder she lost the baby. She shook her head and pushed that thought away. She didn't want to think of that now. It hurt too much. She was just about to limp to the en-suite bathroom again when she spun around in shock to watch Melinda and Tamora orb in and PJ heart in. Melinda grinned at her.

"Well I see you're up and about. That's good because I didn't want to have to pull you out of bed" she said cheerfully. Lindsey's mouth fell open and she frowned.

"I locked that door for a reason" she said quietly and Melinda shrugged.

"You should know that a locked door can't keep a Halliwell out for long" she said.

"And besides, we did knock. You just didn't answer" Tammy said.

"We were worried about you" PJ finished. Lindsey sighed.

"I'm fine" she said, looking away from them. Melinda stepped over to her and put her arm around her shoulder.

"No you're not. But you will be with time" she said and Lindsey suddenly found herself turning into the girl who had come to mean quite a lot to her and burying her face into her shoulder. She felt PJ and Tammy both wrap their arms around her as well. It was too much. Tears began pouring down her cheeks and her body began to shake.

"Shh, it's okay. It'll be okay" Melinda said as she held her.

They stood like that for a long time as Lindsey cried out some of her pain. Finally she stepped back and wiped her face.

"Better now?" Melinda asked kindly and Lindsey nodded.

"So are you ready to come out and face the world again?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"And get Wyatt to heal you? Those bruises look pretty nasty" Tamora said as she looked at the exposed skin on Lindsey's arms.

Lindsey swallowed. Leaving this room would mean she'd have to completely face up to what had happened. And to what she'd done afterwards. She'd have to face up to Chris. She groaned silently as guilt swam through her system. She'd almost killed his fiancé! In front of him and everyone else! Yeah, that was great impression to give everyone!

"Come on now, Halliwell's aren't cowards" Melinda said briskly and Lindsey looked at her.

"I'm not a Halliwell" she said softly._ And it doesn't look like I'll ever be_ she added silently. Melinda scoffed.

"Course you are" she said as PJ and Tamora nodded. "You're as much a part of this family as anyone else." She pointed a finger at her. "And don't you forget it."

Lindsey stared at the girl who stared back determinedly. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and then nodded.

"Okay let's go" she said and Melinda grinned. The four young women turned and left the room, Lindsey walking a lot slower than the other three. She stopped dead as she came to the scene of her temper tantrum. Her eyes opened wide as she stared at the destruction. She groaned. She hadn't realised it was this bad! God, Piper was going to kill her!

Melinda, Tamora and PJ stopped and turned back when they realised Lindsey had stopped following them. They frowned when they saw her face and then Melinda grinned cheekily.

"Don't worry; it's easily taken care of. This is a little something I picked up from Aunt Paige" she said. She took a deep breath and then said a spell.

_Let the object of objection  
become but a dream,  
As I cause the seen  
to be unseen._

As she finished, a swirl of white lights appeared and began zooming around the hallway. Lindsey and the others watched as the three holes in the floor vanished and the debris disappeared. Melinda nodded as the spell faded, leaving the space looking the way it had before Lindsey had attacked Bianca. Lindsey sighed in relief. Why hadn't she thought of that? Tamora grinned as PJ folded her arms and stared at her cousin.

"Personal Gain" she said simply. Melinda grinned again and shrugged.

"Hey, I didn't do it for me. I did it for Lindsey so technically Personal Gain shouldn't come into it" she said. PJ sighed in exasperation.

"Aunt Piper won't like it" she said.

"I think she'll like it better than having holes in the house" she said. She started back down the stairs, the others following.

"So Lindsey, have you thought of what you might do now?" she asked as they made their way into the kitchen.

"Oh come on Mel, she's just had a traumatic experience! Of course she hasn't yet!" PJ scoffed and Melinda glared at her.

"Well I'm not the type to sit around wallowing and I don't think Lindsey is either. The quicker she moves on the better" she said. Lindsey couldn't help agreeing with her. Doing something else so she couldn't dwell on it would be preferable. If only she had something else to do.

"I have an idea if you're interested" Melinda continued as they walked through the kitchen door. Lindsey looked intrigued and was about to ask her what it was when she stopped. The kitchen was full. The Charmed Ones were there, Piper once again stirring something on the stove. Wyatt was there as well. And so was Chris. He was leaning up against the bench and his eyes went straight to her as she entered. He stared at her silently for a moment.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly and Lindsey swallowed again. She shook her head.

"No. But I will be" she said with a small smile at Melinda who grinned back at her. She turned back to Chris. "Thank you for stopping me."

Chris nodded. "Oh course" he said. He turned to his mother. "Ah, I better go. I need to sort a few things out."

Piper sighed and nodded and with a last look at Lindsey, Chris orbed out. Lindsey watched him go with a heavy heart and then looked up at Wyatt as he stepped in front of her.

"May I?" he asked, indicating her bruises. She nodded and Wyatt drew her over to the island and sat her down. As he began to heal her, Piper placed a cup of camomile tea in front of her. Lindsey smiled at her weakly.

"Sorry about the house" she said. Piper shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. You're more important. Besides" she said with a look at her daughter who looked back innocently. "I already know that it's been taken care of. You didn't think I'd notice the Vanishing spell working? The holes went all the way down you know." As Melinda grinned unapologetically and Piper shook her head, Phoebe sat down beside Lindsey and looked at her in concern.

"How are you feeling sweetie?" she asked gently. Lindsey sighed.

"Hollow" she answered honestly and Phoebe nodded.

"That's completely understandable. Do you want to talk about it?" Lindsey shook her head and looked down. Phoebe smiled softly as Paige stepped over and rubbed Lindsey's shoulder.

"That's okay. You know that we're here for you when you do need to" she said and Lindsey looked up with tears in her eyes.

"Thank you" she whispered. Phoebe smiled again as Paige hugged her. Piper looked over and frowned as Wyatt finally finished the healing.

"I didn't put that in front of you so it could go cold. Drink your tea. It'll help you feel better" she said. Lindsey smiled softly and picked up her cup. It was nice to know she had people who cared about her.

~0~

"So what was your idea Mel?" Lindsey asked as she sipped her tea. The Charmed Ones and their oldest children looked around curiously.

"Well, no offence Mom, but I think it'll be better if you got out of the house Lindsey. There are too many painful memories for you here at the moment. Tammy, PJ and I were thinking about getting our own place anyway. Why don't you come with us? There's a really nice place downtown. We've already taken a look at it and we really like it. It's close to campus if you decide to study and close to the city centre. It's got four bedrooms, it's big and airy and I think it's perfect."

Lindsey stared at her. Move out of the house? She hadn't even considered it. But now that Melinda had made the suggestion, it sounded like a really good idea. The Charmed Ones frowned at the thought of their children leaving home.

"Are you sure that this place is okay?" Piper asked and Tammy answered eagerly.

"It's great! We researched it really well. Don't worry, it isn't a lemon. You should come take a look and see for yourselves" she said. As all three Charmed Ones nodded, PJ turned to Lindsey.

"Well? Are you going to come take a look as well? Please say you will!" she said.

Lindsey took a deep breath. Moving out of the house. It was a big step. She'd lived there most of her life and she loved the place. But Melinda was right. There were a lot of bad memories in these walls and at the moment, those memories were drowning out the good ones. She closed her eyes for a second, opened them again and looked at the others determinedly.

"Yes I think I will" she said and PJ, Tammy and Melinda all grinned.


	6. Subconscious craze

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Six – Subconscious craze.

_Lindsey took a deep breath. Moving out of the house. It was a big step. She'd lived there most of her life and she loved the place. But Melinda was right. There were a lot of bad memories in these walls and at the moment, those memories were drowning out the good ones. She closed her eyes for a second, opened them and looked at the others determinedly. _

"_Yes I think I will" she said and PJ, Tammy and Melinda all grinned. _

As Lindsey stood in the apartment with a small smile on her face, she couldn't help thinking that once again, Melinda was right. The place _was _big and airy and so reasonably priced that the four girls didn't anticipate any problems paying the rent. It was practically on campus which was great for Tammy and Melinda as they both went full time – well, Tammy did anyway, Melinda was just supposed to – and it also wasn't too far away from P3 and PJ's internship at The Bay Mirror. So after the four young women appeased their mothers about the apartment, (who all had to agree in the end that it was a pretty decent place) Melinda rang the realtor and asked where to sign. They had to wait until their application was approved, but a week later saw them packing their things to move into their very own place.

The three young Halliwells could not have been more excited about this. Moving out of their family homes and into what they saw as their independence was a step they were completely ready to take and they were really looking forward to it. Lindsey was in a different frame of mind. She had come to the future to start her life with Chris and their baby. But since she now had neither of those components in her life, she wasn't sure if trying to move on so quickly was the right thing to do or not. Her three new friends thought it was, as did the sisters. She just had to trust in their judgement and pray she was stuffing up her life any further.

So Lindsey packed up her things just like the others did, though she really didn't have much to pack. One did not come to the future dragging ten suitcases behind them. Everything she had fit into a backpack and with it flung over her shoulder, she walked out of her room and down the stairs to meet the other girls. She was wrapped up in her thoughts so she didn't see the person walk into the foyer as she reached the bottom of the stairs until she walked right into him.

"Oh! Sorry I wasn't watching where…" she trailed off as she realised who it was. "Oh. Ah, hi Leo."

The Elder turned human smiled at her gently. Lindsey hadn't had much to do with Leo since she'd arrived. That was mainly her own fault. It didn't matter that in reality it had happened twenty two years ago, to her it was only been two months ago that Chris had died in her arms because Leo had left without at least trying to heal him again. She knew it was silly to blame him. It wasn't his fault. Chris's wound had been unhealable – she knew that. But though she knew that with her head, her heart said something different. And with Leo going slightly crazy after Chris's death, her coming here and everything that had happened since, she hadn't gotten the chance to sort out all of her mixed up feelings. Leo had seemed to sense this and hadn't bothered her much which she appreciated.

"So, big day huh? Moving into your own place. Looking forward to it?" he asked and Lindsey was sure he was just doing it to fill the awkward silence. She nodded stiffly.

"Ah, yeah I guess. Well I better go, gotta meet the others" she said and hurried past him only to stop when he called her name. She turned back slowly and he sighed.

"Will you ever forgive me?" he asked quietly and Lindsey swallowed and looked down.

"I don't know" she answered just as quietly. "I'm trying to but it's hard. Give me time okay?" She looked up in time to see him nod.

"Take all the time you need. And please know that I'm here for you just as much as the others are if you ever need to talk about… things."

Lindsey swallowed again. Talking about her problems to a former angel would probably be a very good thing to do. Unfortunately she didn't see herself doing it anytime in the near future.

"Thanks. I'll, ah, keep that in mind" she said and he nodded again before he smiled and continued on up the stairs.

"I'll be over at the weekend to fix those light switches" he called as he got to the top.

"Okay" she called after him and then sighed. What did she expect? She was moving in with his daughter and two of his nieces. Did she really think he would stay away? Of course he wouldn't. She'd just have to deal with it. She turned around just as Melinda bounded down the stairs and PJ and Tammy arrived. She smiled at their excitement.

"So are we all ready for this?" she asked and Melinda laughed.

"Of course we are!" she said as the other two nodded eagerly. "Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The three young Halliwells laughed as they orbed and hearted to their new home, Lindsey's hand caught firmly in Melinda's as she was dragged along with them.

~0~

That same night, in the penthouse apartment that Bianca had practically begged for but he really hadn't wanted, as he had wanted to move into an actual house like the one he'd grown up in, Chris lay in bed beside his sleeping fiancé, staring into the darkness. His mind was filled to the brim with very confusing thoughts, the main one at the moment being Bianca's reaction to his apology.

Oddly enough, he hadn't really had to apologize at all. He'd thought that she would hold this grudge for weeks, especially when he'd hung around to see if Lindsey was okay instead of running after her immediately. But when he had caught up with her, all he had really gotten out was the word sorry before she had interrupted him, telling him that it was okay, no need to apologize because she'd forgiven him already. After all, he had managed to save her hadn't he? She'd then kissed him passionately and pulled him into the bedroom and Chris hadn't really thought about it for the next couple of hours.

He thought about it now though, as he had many times over the past week. And thinking about it caused him to frown. Her reaction didn't really sit well with him at all. She'd forgiven him far too easily. And that really wasn't like her. She'd even seemed quite happy to see him at the time. No not seemed. She'd proved just how happy she been.

Chris sighed and turned over. Bianca was a massive mass of contradictions and she was difficult to deal with at the best of times. But then she goes and does something like that and it throws him for a loop and seriously messes with his head. It was hard, really hard to be with her at times. And during those times, he sometimes wondered why he even continued to stay with her. He did love her. He was positive he did. But sometimes he found himself imagining what his life would be like if he didn't have to deal with all the twists and turns she threw his way. He sighed again and closed his eyes. As sleep finally overcame him, his last thought was that he was certain Lindsey wouldn't go out of her way to twist someone up emotionally the way Bianca did.

~0~

_**Chris opened his eyes, sat up suddenly and looked around with a frown on his face. Where the hell was he? The room he was in was completely empty, if you could call it a room at all. As he got to his feet and looked around, all he could see was a vast white nothingness everywhere. He turned around and would have begun walking in any direction if a voice hadn't stopped him.**_

"_**You won't find anything. Or a way out. We're in your subconscious so you won't get out of here until you wake up."**_

_**Chris spun back round with his hands raised and stopped dead. His fell mouth open. Standing in front of him with and amused smile on his face was… him. An exact replica of him. Without even thinking about it, he flung out his hand and then frowned when nothing happened. The carbon copy of himself laughed.**_

"_**That won't work here. And even if it did, do you really feel like attacking yourself?" he said with a smirk. Chris scowled at the stranger who looked like he could be his identical twin. **_

"_**Where am I?" he demanded. "What am I doing here? And who are you?"**_

_**The stranger raised his eyebrow in amusement and Chris blinked. That movement was something he did all the time and he hadn't realised just how much it made him look like his mother. He shook his head to clear away that thought and continued to scowl.**_

"_**I've already told you where we are. We're in your subconscious. Or to be more precise, at the moment we're in the middle of your dream. And I think it's pretty obvious who I am. I'm you." **_

_**Chris blinked again.**_

"_**No you're not" he answered automatically and the stranger sighed and nodded his head.**_

"_**Yes I am. Sure I'm a different version of you, but our DNA is identical so I'm you all the same." Chris frowned in confusion.**_

"_**But that's impossible. How can you be me? I'm me. I know that there are other realities out there, but they can't contact each other without some pretty powerful magic being involved. Unless you're…" **_

_**He suddenly took a step back and held up his hands in defence. Now it was the stranger's turn to scowl.**_

"_**No I am not a demon or anything else even remotely evil! Look, you're just going to have to trust me. It's not really something I can prove as my childhood was probably completely different to yours. Please just take my word for it. I am you Christopher Perry Halliwell. I. Am. You."**_

_**Chris stared at the person who was claiming to be him. It was true that they were the spitting image of each other. Or maybe not quite. The longer he stared, the more Chris could pick out the couple of very tiny differences. The other man's hair was slightly longer than his and he seemed leaner, like he hadn't really gotten enough to eat. Plus Chris really didn't make a habit of going round wearing a black leather jacket and a 5 o'clock shadow, thought he did admit that the look suited him. The main difference though was the guys' expression. It seemed darker, less open then the one Chris saw in the mirror every morning. Which didn't really make it any easier to trust him. But since he didn't really have any other choice, not if he wanted to get out of here, Chris decided to bite the bullet. He slowly lowered his hands and the other him sighed in relief.**_

"_**Well okay then. Let's get to what we are here for shall we?" he said and Chris felt confusion run through him.**_

"_**Why are we here? And are we really in my dream? If so, how am I actively taking part?"**_

"_**Yes we are really in your dream and you're 'actively taking part' as you say because I'm making it so that you can. Since you're me and I'm you, it's really my dream as well and I've been trying to get a bit of practise lately in manipulating people's dreams. It's easier with you, though this is the first big success I've had. Your mind was more open tonight than any other time I've tried so you finally let me in. Nobody else seems to want to do that though" he finished in a murmur and suddenly looked sad. As Chris frowned again, his twin shook his head and jumped back into his story.**_

"_**And we are here because something very big is happening in your life at the moment and you're just ignoring it. This something is very important to me and I'm here to help you realise just how important it could be to you."**_

_**Now Chris was really stumped. He had no idea what the clone him was talking about and he told him so. The other him huffed out a breath in frustration.**_

"_**You do know what I'm talking about. You just don't want to admit it. So how about I paint you a picture. She's about 5ft 10, has the most unique and beautiful eyes I've ever seen, thick caramel coloured curls that you just want to bury your hands in and the most luscious body either of us have ever set eyes on. Plus she's funny, smart, sweet and amazingly kind, even to people who don't deserve her kindness. She also has some pretty awesome powers. Know what, or should I say who, I'm talking about now?"**_

_**Chris blinked for a third time and frowned against the perfect image the twin had called up in his mind. "Lindsey?"**_

"_**Yay he finally gets it. Yes Lindsey. The girl with the Amethyst eyes" he said and then looked amused at the surprise that rippled across Chris's face. "What? We're the same person Chris. You don't think we would have some of the same thought patterns?"**_

_**Chris shook his head, confusion once again his most prominent emotion. "What does Lindsey have to do with anything?" he asked. The other him barked out a laugh.**_

"_**Oh she has everything to do with anything. She came to the future for a reason Chris. Aren't you curious to know what that reason is?" Chris frowned again.**_

"_**Oh course I am. So is everyone else. But it isn't really any of my business" he said.**_

"_**You're wrong there. It is very much your business. Anything to do with Lindsey is your business. Or it would be if you would get your head out of your ass and stop her from walking out of your life before your chance is completely gone."**_

_**Chris looked at the other him in disbelief. What the hell was he talking about? There was nothing between him and Lindsey and there never would be, so why was he acting like there was? The clone sighed at the look on Chris's face.**_

"_**Okay so maybe you need a little bit of convincing. How about we focus on those images that ran through your mind a week ago and you've been ignoring ever since?"**_

_**Before Chris could say a word in denial, the clone turned around. When Chris followed his gaze, his mouth fell open again. A large space of white in front of them had turned into sort of… well the best way he could describe it was a TV screen. On it was Lindsey and as he watched, the images he had been pretending he'd never seen began playing. And this time Chris couldn't help but watch.**_

_**They played in pretty quick succession. The first one was of Lindsey looking up from her position on the floor with a shocked expression on her face as she stared at a stone statue that bore a striking resemblance to Aunt Paige. This quickly faded into the next one which was of Lindsey dressed up like a Valkyrie. Chris couldn't help put gulp when he saw what that outfit did for her. **_

_**The next one was of her cooking with a much younger version of his mother – her laughter seemed to fill the screen. And there she was reading to a blond haired toddler. Chris gasped when he saw the next one. Lindsey was wearing a tight red dress and she was dancing at what looked like a very outdated version of P3. The way her body moved… it was sinful. He was glad when the image changed.**_

_**The next one confused Chris. It was of Lindsey standing in the middle of the attic with a look of trepidation on her face. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, opened them again and spoke. "I know who you are Chris." **_

_**This didn't make any sense. Of course she knew who he was. But before he could question it the screen changed. And Chris got a shock when he saw Bianca throw a knife at Lindsey. He opened his mouth and the screen changed again.**_

_**Lindsey was lying on the floor with an arrow through her stomach. And then she was staring directly out of the screen looking incredibly frustrated and angry. The next scene was almost the same as the last one expect this time Lindsey definitely didn't look angry. Her hair was ruffled, her cheeks were bright pink and her eyes were at half-mast. Her chest was moving up and down quickly as if she was panting. Chris tore his eyes away from the screen. Move on, move on he thought. There were a few states that he couldn't handle seeing Lindsey in and her being aroused was one of them. When he looked up again the next scene was playing.**_

_**Lindsey was on a date. And then she was trapped inside the crystal cage and anger couldn't even begin to describe the emotion on her face. The next few scenes where of her smiling and laughing. Those scenes ended with her hair spread across a pillow and her eyes slumberous and satisfied. Chris had to look away again.**_

_**The next scene shocked the hell out of him. Lindsey was lying on the sofa in the attic with a very deep, painful looking burn spreading down across her stomach. She was sweating and breathing very shallowly. She smiled weakly, gasped in a short breath and then seemed to breathe no more.**_

"_**And that's where we'll stop I think" the other him said and Chris spun back to him in a panic. The clone laughed when he saw his expression.**_

"_**You already know that she survives dude. She wouldn't be able to come to the future if she was dead now would she?" **_

_**Chris's heart jumpstarted again and he scowled at the relief that flowed through his system. Why was he so concerned? And why the hell was he being shown these things? When he asked the clone that, the guy sighed again.**_

"_**I'm just trying to point out how important she is to you already and you don't even really know her yet" he said. Chris scowled**_

"_**How can she be important to me? These aren't my memories!" he growled.**_

"_**No, you're right, they aren't your memories. They're mine" the clone said simply and Chris's eyes widened.**_

"_**Your memories? But… how?" he said.**_

"_**We haven't gotten to that part yet. Don't worry we will, but all you need to know at the moment is that they're my memories and Lindsey was incredibly important to me. Still is. In fact, let me show you just how important she is to me and how important she could be to you if you stopped being so stubborn."**_

_**He turned back to the screen and the last image popped up again. Chris turned to watch as well and this time the scene expanded until he could see other characters. Or in this case just one other character. Kneeling beside the sofa on which Lindsey lay was him. The other him. And he looked devastated. **_

"_**No. No no no no no. This can't be happening. Leo! LEO! Come on Lindsey, wake up! Oh god, please wake up!" the clone on the screen begged as he frantically shook her shoulder.**_

"_**LEO! GET YOUR ASS HERE NOW! Oh god please Lindsey, you can't be dead. I can't lose you to. Please Lindsey, please please don't leave me!"**_

_**When no Whitelighter orbed into the room and Lindsey didn't magically start breathing again, the clone lowered his cheek onto her shoulder, his own shoulders shaking silently. His hand settled onto her bloody stomach and Chris gasped when the clones hand suddenly started to glow with a golden light. As he became aware of the light, the other him raised his head, hope and tears both shining on his face. He placed his other hand over her wound and the golden light intensified. Slowly Lindsey's wound began to heal and she suddenly drew in a deep breath and blinked open her eyes.**_

_**As the scene faded to a blank screen, for a long moment Chris couldn't say a thing. He turned to the clone with an unreadable expression on his face.**_

"_**But for that to have happened you would have had to…" The other him smiled softly.**_

"_**Love her? Oh, I did. Outrageously. She was my whole world and in that instant I felt it all being taken away. So I stopped it from happening. It was the brightest moment of my life when she started breathing again. And she could mean that much to you to if you just open yourself to it." **_

_**Chris stared at the blank screen. **_"_**I already have someone. I have Bianca. And I love her" he said quietly.**_

"_**Do you? Do you really? Or are you just holding onto something that faded long ago because you're too stubborn to let it all go and start anew? When was the last time you were happy with Bianca, Chris? When was the last time you didn't put off going home?"**_

_**When Chris didn't answer the clone sighed and waved his hand, causing the screen to disappear. They were once more in a vast white blankness.**_

"_**Well let's put that away for now and move on to the how part of your questions. Do you remember when you were a child and you walked into a room and Mom and Dad suddenly and abruptly stopped talking?"**_

_**Chris blinked, turned back to the twin and nodded. This had happened many times during his childhood. They'd done it to Wyatt as well and it had always succeeded in making them feel confused and frustrated.**_

"_**Well there's a reason for that. Our parents have been keeping something from you. From all the children really, but from you and Wyatt in particular. You need to find out what it is and you need to do it fast. It's a very important part of the puzzle." **_

"_**And I suppose you can't just tell me what it is?" Chris asked with a raised eyebrow.**_

"_**No I can't. Sorry but I'm not allowed to. You need to do it yourself. I'll give you a hint though. If you ever feel like looking into the past, check out the box right at the very back of the top shelf in Mom's closet. What you find in there will be very helpful."**_

_**Chris blinked and then groaned at the non-information he had just received.**_

"_**And that's all you're going to tell me?"**_

"_**Yes that's all I'm going to tell you. You have to figure out the rest. I will say that Lindsey could be very helpful in this as well if you let her." **_

_**Chris frowned. **_"_**All this crypticness in very annoying you know" he muttered and the clone laughed.**_

"_**You have no idea how many times I've had different versions of that said to me. Well that's about it from me at the moment. I'll be back though if you keep stuffing things up. Oh, but I do have one last thing to say. Keep an eye out for a particular demon. He's taken something that's very precious to me and to you as well once you figure out what it is. Getting it back to its rightful owner is imperative."**_

"_**And you won't tell me what that is either?" Chris asked even though he already knew the answer.**_

"_**Sorry Chris I can't. You need to-"**_

"_**-figure it out on my own, yeah I heard you the first time" Chris muttered and the other him laughed again.**_

"_**Right. So remember and think about what I've told and shown you. Your life could be so much better Chris, if you just let it." **__**C**__**hris nodded slowly and then had a sudden thought.**_

"_**Hey why are you doing this anyway? If you loved her that much, why are you trying to push her together with someone else?" The other him shook his head.**_

"_**Not someone else Chris. You. And since you are me, technically I get her anyway. And being that I'm quite a selfish person, I couldn't be happier about that" he said with a smirk. "Now I think it's about time you wake up. Hear that Chris? WAKE UP!"**_

~0~

Chris jolted upright in bed as a loud voice echoed through his head and then faded to nothing. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Man that was a weird dream. Beside him Bianca stirred.

"What is it Chris?" she asked irritably and Chris suddenly felt annoyed that she thought he'd woken her deliberately.

"Nothing, don't worry about it, go back to sleep" he said and Bianca grumbled and turned away from him. She was asleep again within seconds. The same could not be said for Chris. He stayed awake for a long time, trying to figure out whether he had watched too many sci-fi movies or if a different version of himself had really just invaded his sleep and tried his best to turn Chris's life upside down.


	7. Charging together

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Michael, Antonio and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Seven – Charging together.

"_Nothing, don't worry about it, go back to sleep" he said and Bianca grumbled and turned away from him. She was asleep again within seconds. The same could not be said for Chris. He stayed awake for a long time, trying to figure out whether he had watched too many sci-fi movies or if a different version of himself had really just invaded his sleep and tried his best to turn Chris's life upside down._

The dream, if that's what you could call it, was the first thing Chris thought of when he woke up the next morning. And it stayed with him for the rest of the day, sitting in the back of his mind while he went into P3 to open the restaurant, Triquetra, that had been added on to the club ten years ago and then to organise everything for the band playing in the club that night. He tried his best not to dwell on it. But what he had seen and been told tended to pop up at unexpected moments until it was all he could think about.

Who was the clone and what did his life have to do with Chris's? Why did he even exist in the first place? Did he even exist at all or was he just a figment of Chris's imagination? If the clone was to be believed, then his parents would have the answers to all these questions. But Chris wasn't sure if he wanted to know the answers. His life had been good until Lindsey had shown up and now it was all over the place.

And speaking of Lindsey, he was incredibly confused over her. His and Bianca's relationship hadn't been perfect before she had come into the picture, but he had at least thought that they had been content. He had been looking forward to getting married and settling down to have a family. But then Lindsey had popped out of nowhere and turned everything on its head. He didn't know her all that well but what he did know, he liked. A lot. She was a strong, confident, amazing woman and Chris found himself wanting to spend more and more time with her. Which didn't say much for his relationship with Bianca.

So what did he do? Did he dig into the past like the clone said he should? Or did he leave well enough alone? At the moment Chris couldn't answer those questions. And not being able to answer them was frustrating the hell out of him. The one thing he had decided on though was that he was going to stay away from Lindsey. He had a lot to sort out and her being around wasn't making it any easier. So he wouldn't have anything to do with her until he'd gotten his life sorted out again.

One of his decisions made, Chris made it through the dinner shift with a slightly lighter heart. He was on his way down to the club to see if the band, Black Dragon, needed anything before the doors were opened when a jingle sounded through his head. Chris sighed and grimaced. Couldn't the Elders see that his life was busy enough at the moment? He didn't have time for them and what they wanted him to do. But when the jingle sounded again, he knew that he wouldn't be able to ignore them. So, sticking his nose quickly into the club and nodding when he was that everything was running smoothly and on schedule, he headed into the alley behind the club and orbed up to Elder Land.

~0~

He arrived to a cloudy sea of white. 'Up there' had never been a very exciting place. He remembered feeling very excited the first time he had visited it. He'd been fourteen and had been so envious of Wyatt because he'd been able to go 'up there' anytime he wanted. So when the Elders had called him for the first time, he'd been thrilled and couldn't orb fast enough. He'd been thoroughly disappointed when he'd gotten there. All those clouds and pillars and basic emptiness hadn't really been what he'd been expecting and the place hadn't changed much over the years.

Chris glanced around impatiently, looking for whoever had called him. Usually someone was there to meet him when they called but this time seemed to be an exception. He spun around when he heard the tinkle of orbing and raised his eyebrow questionably when the Michael, the Elder he usually dealt with appeared.

"Sorry to keep you waiting Chris. A lot of things have been happening that we've been trying to get on top of it and sorting it all out is rather time consuming" he said as he smoothed down his robes. Chris frowned.

"What's been going on?" he asked.

"Well that's why I called you up here. First off, one of the Vessels has been stolen-"

"Vessels?" Chris interrupted and Michael nodded before explaining.

"The Soul Vessels. There are three of them. They used to be used to transport a Whitelighter's soul back down to earth when they were being recycled but they aren't used so much these days. We've found easier methods then personally carrying a soul back down to earth. We discovered we'd been infiltrated and one had been stolen about a week ago and since only magical souls can be transported in them, well we think it might be related to the disappearances."

Chris's eyes widened. "They've been disappearances?" he asked and Michael sighed and nodded.

"Unfortunately yes. We've had reports of four women, all of them witches, going missing over the past week. None of their Whitelighters know what has happened to them. One minute their still on their radar, the next they have vanished." Chris frowned.

"So you want me and the Charmed Ones to figure out what's going on?" he asked and Michael frowned.

"Well yes, but that's not why you were called up here. I've got a new assignment for you."

Chris groaned. A new charge? Great! Like he had time for that! Michael pursed his lips in disapproval at the look on Chris's face.

"Come on Chris, don't give me that look. You haven't got any other charges at the moment and this is important. All of the targeted witches have been part of powerful bloodlines so we need to get as many as we can protected as soon as possible."

"You think others will be taken?" Chris asked, worry in his tone. His family didn't have a Whitelighter at the moment and since most of them were female…

Michael smiled gently as he heard the uneasiness under Chris's words. "Don't worry; you Halliwells were one of the first families we sorted out protection for. Your protector is even an Elder so you should be good. But we can't give everyone an Elder so we need all of our top Whitelighters on the job. Your brother's gotten a new assignment as well. In fact he's got a couple."

Chris sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "So who's the charge then?" he asked.

"She's a new witch in town. Pretty powerful one as well so we think she may end up being a target. And I think you know her which will make it easier. Her name is Lindsey Ludlow."

Chris's mouth fell open. Lindsey? Lindsey was his new charge? Oh come on! How exactly was he supposed to stay away from her if he had to watch over her all the time? This couldn't be happening! Michael continued, unaware of Chris's inner turmoil.

"She's a Ravenblood so you can imagine why we think she may be a target-"

"Yeah you don't need to tell me, I do know her and I know what she is" Chris said on a sigh. Michael smiled and nodded.

"I thought you might. She was pretty involved with your family when she lived in the past."

"You can say that again" Chris muttered. Then he frowned. "So you guys know that she came from the past? Aren't you usually against that sort of thing?"

"Yes we know and yes we usually don't like people messing with space and time. But Lindsey is a different matter. She was meant to come here. It's part of her destiny."

Chris frowned. What type of destiny must she have if she has to come to the future to accomplish it? He shook his head and put that thought out of his mind. He knew from experience that Michael wouldn't answer his questions so he didn't even bother asking.

"So you want me to watch over her all the time?" he asked and Michael nodded again.

"As much as you can. We don't want to lose anyone else" he said. Chris groaned silently.

"How am I supposed to figure out what happened to the missing witches if I have to give all my time to looking out for someone else?" he asked, hoping Michael hadn't thought of that and would give Lindsey to another Whitelighter.

Michael raised his eyebrow in amusement, well aware of what Chris was doing.

"That's easy. Get her to help you. She came into her powers only a few months before the sisters did and went through everything with them so she is more than capable of researching and helping you work out what's happening" he said with a smile.

Chris cursed under his breath. So much for that idea. Michael chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on Chris, do you really want her to be passed on to someone else? She's like a sister to your mother and aunts and from what I've heard; she's gotten pretty close to your sister and some of your cousins. Sounds like she's part of the family. You want family to have the best protection available don't you?"

"You're saying that I'm the best protection you've got for her?" Chris asked with a scowl and Michael nodded.

"Yes you are. She needs someone like you at the moment. Involve her in the investigation and it'll help take her mind off her recent lose. And her being close to your family will make it easier for you to protect her. Now you better go. The sooner she gets the protection she needs the better. And keep me updated on the investigation won't you?"

Chris sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. It seems the fates were doing all they could to push him and Lindsey together. Well he wasn't going to be ruled by destiny. Chris Halliwell made his own decisions, no matter what the world was saying.

"Yeah I will" he assured the Elder. As he orbed away, Michael smiled. Chris could fight it all he wanted but when someone was part of your destiny; there was nothing you could do to change it.

~0~

Chris used his new found Lindsey radar and orbed into the kitchen of hers, his sisters and his cousins new apartment. He looked around and then quickly averted his eyes. Lindsey was bending over, taking something out of the oven and before he forced his eyes away, Chris couldn't help but think that that was a sight he could get used to seeing every day. He winced and smacked himself mentally before clearing his throat. Lindsey stood up quickly and a variety of emotions flickered over her face as she saw who her visitor was.

"Oh. Um, Hi Chris. Mel and the others aren't here" she said as she placed the tray of chocolate chip cookies onto the bench. Chris raised his eyebrows.

"Well that's good to know but I'm not here to see them. I'm here to see you" he said.

Lindsey froze at his words and Chris growled under his breath as he watched her mask slide into place. Would he never be able to have a conversation with her without that damn mask making an appearance?

"Me?" she asked with a confused frown. "Why would you want to see me?"

Chris's eyebrows drew together at that very stupid question. "Why wouldn't I want to see you? You're sending a lot of time with my family. Maybe I just want to get to know you better" he answered with a scowl. Lindsey slowly shook her head.

"No I really don't think so. I've been here two month Chris and you haven't spent any time with me at all during that period. Doesn't make sense for you to want to start now" she said quietly.

Chris frowned at her words. She made him sound terrible. Yes he hadn't really gone out of his way to get to know her in the time that she'd been here but he had a good reason for that! Not that he could tell her what that reason was…

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise how badly I've been treating you" he said softly and Lindsey shrugged.

"You haven't been treating me badly Chris. You've been busy with your life and I'm not a part of that life" she said and Chris's eyes narrowed as her mask slipped and some unreadable emotion rolled through her eyes before she hastily turned away. It had looked a lot like sorrow.

"You've got your own live to live so don't worry about me. I'm trying to move on with my life as well" Lindsey said as she pulled open a draw, took out a spatula and began transferring the cookies from the tray to a cooling rack. Chris sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"It looks like I haven't really got a choice in that" he said and then explained when Lindsey turned around to look at him questionably.

"Worry about you that is. It's kind of my job now. I'm your new Whitelighter" he said and Lindsey's jaw dropped. Chris couldn't help but grin at the absolute shock on her face.

"What?" she asked blankly. Chris's grin grew as he reached over to pick up a cookie.

"I'm your new Whitelighter" he said again as bit into the cookie. "Hey these are pretty good!"

"Thanks" Lindsey said distractingly. "What do you mean you're my new Whitelighter? I don't need a Whitelighter! I can take care of myself!"

Chris finished the cookie and reached for another one. "Yeah you probably can. But female witches have been going missing over the past week and all of them have come from magically strong bloodlines. The Elders are giving out new assignments left right and centre, trying to make sure no one else gets taken."

As Chris finished his second cookie, he watched as Lindsey opened her mouth and closed it again as she tried to figure out what to say to that. He was reaching for a third when Lindsey focused on what he was doing and quickly slapped his hand away.

"Hey they're not just for you!" she scolded him and Chris pouted slightly

"But they're really good!" he whined and Lindsey continued to frown.

"I'll make you some of your own but these ones are for the girls" she said. Chris brightened.

"My own cookies? Awesome" he breathed and then looked over at Lindsey's quiet burst of laughter.

"What?" he asked. "What are you laughing at?"

"You just reminded me of something" she said and Chris was about to ask what when the smile slipped off her face and her Amethyst eyes became unbelievably sad. The mask that had disappeared at the mention of Chris being her Whitelighter took over her features again as she turned to begin washing the dishes.

"I really don't need a Whitelighter Chris" she said and Chris scowled at her back.

"Well you haven't got a choice in the matter Lindsey. I am your Whitelighter and there's nothing either of us can do to change that" he said. "So if you need me, just call and I'll come to you. Plus I'll be hanging around to watch your back as well."

Lindsey's shoulders slumped slightly before she took a deep breath and turned back to him, a determined look on her face.

"I won't be calling you and I don't need you to watch my back. As I said, I can take care of myself." Chris frowned and folded his arms.

"You can't stop me from doing my job Lindsey" he said and the mask flickered again.

"Your job" she murmured before she closed her eyes and sighed. "No you're right, I can't stop you from doing your job" she said as she opened her eyes again. "But I won't be calling you Chris."

Chris raised his eyebrow. "Well I guess I'll just have to hang around close enough so that if anything happens you won't need to call me. I'll be there anyway" he said with a slight grin. Lindsey smiled crookedly.

"You do that" she said dryly. "I'll just pretend that you're not there."

Chris laughed. "Sounds like a plan. Well I better go tell Bianca where I'll be for the next little while. I'll be back soon. Try not to get kidnapped while I'm away would you?" he said.

"Can't promise anything" Lindsey said and Chris laughed again as he orbed away.

~0~

To say Bianca was unhappy about Chris's new assignment would be an understatement. Unhappy was too tame a word. She was furious. Chris watched helplessly as she paced their apartment, rage boiling out of her.

"I'm sorry Bianca but I don't have a choice" Chris tried to explain but Bianca wasn't having a bar of it.

"You don't have a choice?! Of course you have a choice! You could have told them no! But you didn't! And why is that Chris? Is it because you didn't want to turn them down? You want to be with her don't you? I've seen the way you look at her! You're sleeping with that whore aren't you?!" she shouted. Chris groaned.

"No of course I'm not sleeping with her! I'm not cheating on you Bianca! How many times do I have to tell you that? And don't call her a whore!"

"I'll call that freak whatever the hell I want! She's trying to steal you from me!" the phoenix fumed.

"No she's not! Stop freaking out Bianca and please stop talking about me like I'm an inanimate object! I love you! Why is that so hard for you to believe?" Bianca scoffed and threw him a patronising look.

"God you're naïve! Love has nothing to do with sex Chris! As you've proved many times over by screwing anything with breasts!"

Chris threw up his hands in exasperation. "And as I've told you over and over, I have not been cheating on you! God I can't handle this at the moment. I've got a job to do. If you decide to stop acting crazy and actually want to talk this through like an adult, you know where I'll be!" he snapped before he orbed out of the room, leaving a very angry phoenix behind him.

~0~

Bianca scowled furiously as Chris's orb cloud disappeared before she went over to the sidebar and poured herself a vodka. She quickly threw it back and poured another one. Ugly, fat, freaky eyed bitch. She thought she'd taken care of the problem by getting rid of that disgusting little foetus but noooo, Chris just couldn't seem to stay away! Even though he'd denied it every time, she knew that he'd been bumping uglies with anyone who flaunted their tail at him. And going by the number of girls who he was 'friendly' to, that was a lot of tail!

Well if he was going to have his cake and eat it to, she wasn't going to miss out on her share! She threw back her drink before pouring herself a third, picked up the phone and dialled a number she knew by heart. She smiled as it rang. The person on the other end was her go to guy when Chris did something that particularly annoyed her. _Which was quite often _she thought with a chuckle. Her cocky smile grew wider as the phone on the other end was answered.

"Hola" a guttural voice said and Bianca smile turned sultry.

"Antonio?" she purred. "It's Bianca. How about you come over honey, and we have some fun?"


	8. Stubbornness is a virtue

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

**Quick A/N - I'd just like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has reviewed, followed and favourited this story so far. I really do appreciate it! Seeing a new email just makes my day! Right, that's enough from me. On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter Eight – Stubbornness is a virtue.

"_Hola" a guttural voice said and Bianca smile turned sultry._

"_Antonio?" she purred. "It's Bianca. How about you come over honey, and we have some fun?" _

Lindsey closed her eyes on a sigh as Chris's laughter slowly faded away to follow him after he'd orbed out. A shudder went down her spine as she listened to the end of it. God it was good to hear that sound again. But it also hurt as well. Hearing Chris laugh brought back a lot of very good memories. The last time she had heard it in relation to her, her Chris had been taking her to bed. Which of course, had ended up with new life being conceived. She shook her head to clear away that thought. Her life was completely different from those memories now and being reminded of something that will never happen again was incredibly painful. She wasn't sure if she could handle him being around all the time. But it didn't look like she had much of a choice.

As she finished the dishes and transferred the rest of the cookies into an airtight container, she sighed once again. Her Whitelighter. Chris was her Whitelighter. She smiled humourlessly. How was that for fate trying to mess with her life again? She had only just decided to try and move on with her life and then something like this happens. It really wasn't fair. But when had her life ever been fair?

With the cookies stored and the mess cleaned up, Lindsey decided she would start dinner. Out of everyone who lived in the apartment, she was the one who did the most cooking. Not that the other three couldn't cook, especially Melinda. You couldn't be the daughter of a trained chef without at least learning the basics. But with everyone else having school or work to attend and Lindsey having neither, it was just easier for her to do the domestic stuff. Plus she enjoyed it. She'd spent a lot of time during her teenage years in the kitchen with Piper. It had been one of the only normal parts of her exceedingly crazy life.

She had pasta boiling on the stove and was in the process of making a roué when she heard the tinkling of orbing. She couldn't help the way her heart leapt as she turned around, only to have it sink again in disappointment when she saw it wasn't Chris. Instead it was his sister. She grimaced slightly as her automatic reaction before smiling at Melinda who grinned back at her. The witchlighters eyes widened and then sparkled with excitement as she took in the ingredients on the stove.

"Are you making mac 'n' cheese from scratch?" she asked eagerly and then pumped her fist in the air when Lindsey nodded.

"Yes! And, oh my god, you've made chocolate chip cookies!" she crowed as she hurried over to the bench, opened the container and took a cookie. She took a bite and moaned, which had Lindsey raising her eyebrows in amusement.

"I'm guessing you like them" she said dryly and Melinda nodded enthusiastically around a very full mouth. She swallowed and looked at Lindsey slyly.

"So any reason you just happened to make my brothers favourite junk food?" she asked.

"Oh does Wyatt like them as well? I'll have to make him some" Lindsey answered with an innocent expression. Melinda rolled her eyes.

"No not Wyatt! Though he does like them. But Chris, well now, he loves them. And you just happened to make them. We're not perhaps having a visitor tonight are we?"

Lindsey frowned at the implications she heard under Melinda's words.

"He's engaged to someone else Mel" she said quietly and Melinda raised an eyebrow.

"So? Doesn't mean you still can't be friends with him. And I wasn't meaning that anyway. Chris doesn't cheat Lindsey. He believes that if you respect someone enough to be in a relationship with them, then you respect them enough to be with only them during that relationship. He takes commitment seriously, as we all do. It was something that Mom and the Aunts drilled into us. But you should already know that. The other Chris must have had at least some of the same values and beliefs" she said.

Lindsey groaned and rubbed her face with her hands. God her perceptions were way off at the moment. Of course Melinda hadn't meant that! She was just so mixed up with fate not letting her move on from Chris like she was trying to do, she was reading more into things then she should be.

"Yeah I do know that" she said with a sigh as she turned to look at Melinda. "And you're right. My Chris believed that as well. It was one of the reasons it took him so long to sort himself out after he kissed me the first time. He wasn't sure if he was ready to dive into a relationship again, especially if his plans came to fruition. He knew that if he got together with me, he'd just have to leave me once he'd made everything right again" she said. Melinda looked at her curiously.

"So what changed his mind?" she asked and Lindsey couldn't help the smirk that spread across her face.

"I got sick of him pretending I didn't exist. I was already in love with him at that stage and him ignoring me really hurt, especially after he'd already physically displayed that he wasn't as indifferent to me as I'd first thought. So, after a little advice from Paige, I decided that if he was going to act like it had never happened, I was going to try to move past it and him. And I went out on a date."

Melinda blinked and then laughed. "Well I don't know about him but if someone ever did that to our Chris, he really wouldn't take it very well" she said with a grin. Lindsey grinned back at her.

"Well it definitely got him to stop ignoring me" she said with a chuckle and Melinda laughed again.

"Oh I do believe it would" she said. "See, the two of them aren't all that different are they?" she asked and Lindsey sighed and shook her head.

"Not really when you think about it. And I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not" she said softly. "How am I supposed to move on when everything Chris does brings back wonderful and painful memories?"

Melinda frowned and opened her mouth to answer when there was another tinkle of orbing and the very person central to the girls' discussion appeared. He scowled fiercely when he saw Melinda.

"What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be at school studying or whatever you like to call the time you waste there?!" he snapped and Melinda eyes bugged. But before she could retaliate, Lindsey spun around to face him and poked a spoon into his face threateningly.

"Don't you speak to your sister that way! She lives here, unlike you! If you're going to be rude and abrasive you can leave!" she snapped at him.

As Melinda's mouth fell open, Chris blinked and his scowl disappeared suddenly

"Sorry" he mumbled and Lindsey frowned.

"It's not me you should be apologizing to" she said with a look at the still stunned Melinda. Chris sighed and turned to his sister.

"Sorry Mel. I didn't mean it. I'm just a little agitated at the moment and I took it out on you" he said apologetically. Melinda blinked.

"Wow. The great Christopher Halliwell actually apologizing for something. It's a miracle" she teased him. Chris grinned sheepishly.

"So what's got your knickers in a twist anyway?" Melinda asked and Chris scowled again. His eyes flicked to Lindsey, who had turned back to the stove, and then quickly back to his sister again.

"Bianca and I had a fight. She doesn't like my new assignment" he said quietly. Lindsey froze slightly at his words and Melinda frowned in confusion.

"What new assignment?" she asked and Lindsey sighed and turned to her.

"Chris is my new Whitelighter" she said gloomily and Melinda blinked.

"Oh. _Oh._ Well that would explain it" she said with a grin. "So I'm guessing you're staying for dinner. And probably taking up residence on our couch tonight as well?" she asked cheekily.

Chris's eyes flicked to Lindsey again, trying to gage her reaction. Lindsey didn't say a word. She was rather conflicted. She was trying her best not to be happy that Chris and Bianca were fighting. Over her. Yes it was only because Chris had a 'job' to do but inside she was still pleased. On the other hand, she wanted Chris to be happy and fighting with his fiancé meant he most definitely wasn't.

"If that's okay with everyone…" he said quietly, his eyes still on Lindsey.

"Hey, if you think you can survive the night on our couch then go ahead" Melinda said with a shrug and a small sly grin. God the tension between those two was palatable. How could neither of them see it?

"Of course, with your 6ft 1 frame, a bed would be better. But sorry bro, I'm not giving up or sharing mine. Don't think Tammy or PJ would want to either. What about you Lindsey?" she asked innocently and then had to hold back a burst of laughter at the shocked look Lindsey threw in her direction.

"No no, the couch is fine" Chris said hurriedly with his own look of disbelief at his meddling sister. "That's if it's okay for me to stay?" he asked Lindsey.

Lindsey closed her eyes and tried to will away the blush that the images Melinda had deliberately put in her head had caused. She really didn't want to think about sharing a bed with Chris. God she was going to kick Mel's ass for this later!

"It's fine. The more the merrier I guess" she said quietly with a scowl at her friend. Melinda just raised an eyebrow and grinned innocently back at her.

~0~

Surprising Lindsey did manage to get a good night's sleep that night. She'd thought that she'd be awake for hours, fretting over the man who was trying to sleep on the cramped couch in the living room, but she was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. It was almost as if his presence made it easier for her to sleep. Which wasn't surprising, given that that was exactly what her Chris had done for her. Lindsey had always thought that that was because he'd loved her. But since it happened with this Chris as well and he definitely didn't love her… well maybe it was just him altogether. She somehow felt safer with him around which was preposterous because Lindsey Ludlow could hold her own in a fight and had done so many times.

But as she stepped out of her bedroom the next morning and her eyes went directly to the curled up figure on the couch, she admitted to herself that it was very nice to have him around again. She tried not to feel better with him here because she knew that it would just hurt more once he'd made up with Bianca, but that was next to impossible to do. It was just the way he made her feel. He always had, even before the other him had loved her. At this thought, she sighed, pulled her eyes away from the bundle of blankets and went into the kitchen to start breakfast. The girls would be up soon.

Not expecting there to be anyone else in the kitchen, she got a surprise when she saw Tamora standing at the bench, buttering pieces of toast. Tammy laughed quietly at Lindsey's surprised expression.

"You're not the one who has to cook all the time you know. Some of us do enjoy doing as well" the philosophy major said and Lindsey smiled guilty.

"Yeah I know it's just easier for me to do it. You've all got lives to live and I don't" she said.

"Well that's easy enough to fix. Go get a job" Tammy teased her with a grin. Lindsey grimaced.

"Easier said than done" she said. Tammy gave her a sympathetic look.

"It's a pity you're not 21 yet. You could have served behind the bar at the club or the restaurant if you were" she said.

At her words, Lindsey froze for a second, stopped getting out plates and utensils and spun back round to face Tammy, her eyes wide.

"What's the date?" she demanded. Tammy turned away from the scrambling eggs and frowned at her.

"December 10th" she answered and Lindsey coughed out a shocked burst of laughter. She grinned at Tammy's confused and questioning look.

"It's my birthday tomorrow" she said with a bewildered expression. How could she possibly have forgotten? She was 21 tomorrow! She guessed that with everything that had gone on in her life lately, it had just slipped her mind.

Tamora's mouth fell open and then with an excited laugh, she rushed over to Lindsey and pulled her into a hard hug.

"Oh wow, this is so cool! You're 21 tomorrow! We have to celebrate!" she cried as she swayed Lindsey back and forth. Lindsey laughed and both girls turned to the door as it swung open.

"Celebrate what?" Melinda asked as her and PJ walked into the room. Tammy grinned.

"It's Lindsey's 21st birthday tomorrow and she only just remembered about it" she said happily. Lindsey laughed again as there was a short pause and then Melinda's loud excited whoop echoed through the kitchen. PJ smiled.

"Well I would call that a reason to celebrate" she said and Lindsey smiled back at her. She then switched her gaze to Melinda, who was doing some sort of horrible dance around the kitchen.

"21 tomorrow, 21 tomorrow, oh yeah we are so going to parr-tah!" the youngest of the four sang as she shuffled. Lindsey and Tamora laughed while PJ raised her eyebrow in amusement.

"You're too young to party the way you want to. So is Tammy for that matter. Looks like only Lindsey and I will be able to have some fun" she teased.

As Melinda stopped her outrageous boogying and pouted the kitchen door swung open again. PJ turned and grinned at a rumpled Chris.

"Hey at least Chris can join us! He's more than old enough, unlike some people" she said with a sly look at Melinda.

"Old enough to do what? And what's with all the noise?" Chris grumbled. Lindsey swallowed hard and quickly turned away from him to tend to the eggs that in her excitement, Tammy had forgotten about. God he was adorable in the mornings. Some people were morning people. Chris Halliwell was not one of them. At least her Chris hadn't been and it seemed like this one wasn't either.

Tammy smiled at her cousin. "It's Lindsey's 21st birthday tomorrow. PJ was teasing Mel about her not being old enough to go out and celebrate."

Chris swung his gorgeous, sleep riddled, bottle green eyes towards Lindsey and stared at her in surprise.

"It's your birthday tomorrow?" he asked quietly and Lindsey nodded silently, unnecessarily pushing the eggs around the pan.

"Hhmm" Chris answered after a moment. Neither one of them noticed the look the other three exchanged. Or the accompanying grins. Tammy and PJ didn't know Lindsey's history like Melinda did, but they could read the undercurrents and they were both rooting for Lindsey. She was one hell of a lot nicer then Bianca had ever been. Plus they could tell that she would be better for Chris. The way Bianca treated their cousin was horrible.

"It's good as well Chris, because now you can give Lindsey a job!" Tammy said and Lindsey swung back around again.

"What?" she asked blankly. Oh god no. More time with Chris? Her heart wouldn't be able to take it.

"Well it makes sense doesn't it? You were saying you didn't have a life outside the house. And Chris, you were complaining the other day that you needed an extra bar tender. Plus Chris is your Whitelighter Lindsey. This way he can watch out for you easier" Tammy said with a slight grin.

As Lindsey threw her a frantic look, Chris blinked and frowned. His eyes were clearer now as he once again looked at the time traveller.

"Do you want a job?" he asked with a considering look. "Tammy's right. It would make sense."

Lindsey bit her lip and looked down. It was true that she was incredibly bored with nothing to do all day. But taking this opportunity would mean she'd have to spend all day with Chris.

"I never bar tended before" she said and Chris shrugged.

"Everybody starts off that way. It's not hard. Plus I'll start you off in the restaurant where it the bar isn't so busy. You can move down to the club once you know what you're doing" he said. Lindsey continued to bite her lip and Chris huffed in frustration.

"Look, it's likely to be the only job you'll be able to get. People from the past don't come with all the necessarily paperwork now do they?" he asked.

Lindsey shook her head and looked away, trying desperately to come up with a reason to say no. Finally she said the only thing she could think of.

"Bianca won't like it" she blurted out. Chris scowled and muttered something under his breath. To PJ, who was the only one standing close enough to hear it, it sounded a lot like _screw Bianca._ Her jaw dropped open and then she grinned to herself. Looks like things were looking up.

"Bianca has nothing to do with the way I run my business. I'm the manager of P3 and Triquetra, not her. Now do you want the job or not?" he asked in an annoyed voice.

Lindsey deliberated. Chris was right; it was likely to be the only job she could get. And she really needed something to do! But did she want that something to be around Chris all the time? She looked over as Tammy nudged her.

"Go on, say yes" the girl murmured. "You never know, it could turn out to be a good thing."

Lindsey looked into her encouraging brown eyes before she took a steading breath, made her decision and turned back to Chris.

"I'll take it" she said.

~0~

Chris was right. Mixing drinks wasn't hard. In fact, Lindsey found she was a natural at it. So, on the night of her 21st birthday, Lindsey found herself behind the bar at Triquetra, filling orders. She wasn't as fast as she should've been just yet, but she was getting there. And she loved it. Just being out of the house was great. Plus the job topped off a pretty exceptional day. The girls had surprised her that morning with breakfast in bed and then Piper, Phoebe and Paige had shown up laden down with presents. It seemed that she was the only one who had forgotten her birthday. She had a whole heap of new clothes and she was now wearing a beautiful silver triquetra necklace on a black rope chain.

The sisters had taken her out for lunch and after that Melinda, PJ and Tammy had whisked her away again and asked her how she felt about maybe getting a tattoo. Surprisingly Lindsey was all for it. All three of the sisters had them, with Paige getting hers to mark the birth her children and the adoption of Henry Jnr. The three younger Halliwells had them as well, each of them choosing something that meant the most to them.

Lindsey now had a thin vine surrounded by flames, bursts of wind and drops of water that started on her left thigh, ran over her stomach, around her back and ended between her breasts. It had hurt like hell and had taken a very long time. She'd had been worried that she wouldn't make it to her new job in time. Fortunately she had and now that it was done, she didn't regret it. In fact she loved it. Maybe she would be the only one to see it at the moment but that didn't matter. At least she knew it was there.

It was later that night that the tattoo really made itself known. It was pulling insanely and little burst of pain would pop up whenever she moved. Lindsey grimaced as she took the last of the rubbish out into the alleyway behind the building. The tattooist had told her what to expect as it healed and she really wasn't looking forward to the itchy stage. She threw the bag in the dumpster and then gasped as her back pulled. Suddenly a scuffling sounded through the alley and Lindsey froze, the pain of her tattoo flying completely out of her mind. She looked around carefully. When she didn't see anything she frowned and turned to head back inside, not liking the feel of the alley at all. She's only taken a couple of steps when she tripped over something that hadn't been there before.

She landed hard on her knees and gasped audibly as pain rocketed up her legs. Standing up slowly, she looked down at her knees and grimaced at the blood flowing from the torn up skin. Great. Just great. Her first day and she'd managed to destroy her uniform pants. She brushed herself off gingerly and spun around to see what she had tripped over. She didn't want anyone else to hurt themselves.

When Lindsey saw what the thing was, she went very still. Her eyes widened and she literally felt all the blood drain from her face. The thing she had tripped over wasn't a thing. It was a body. A human body. And it was very, very dead.

She was so shocked by what she was looking at that she stopped paying any attention to her surroundings. That is until she caught a flash of brightness out of the corner of her eye. She turned just in time to realise the brightness was a fireball and quickly jumped aside to avoid it. But not quick enough. The fireball glanced off her shoulder, knocking her over and leaving a nasty burn in its wake.

Lindsey lay on her back beside the body, panting in shock and fear. The pain from her shoulder was excruciating, travelling up and down her body in waves and fogging up her brain. She knew she should be moving but she just couldn't seem to get her body to co-operate. Somewhere under the fog, she also knew that she should be calling Chris. But her natural stubbornness balked at that and the thought was soon lost again under the pain. She seemed to drift off for a while and then she was suddenly wide awake and aware again as something connected hard with her side. She groaned and turned her head painfully to stare up into the blazing red eyes of the demon that had thrown the fireball.

"Well what do we have here?" the demon smirked as it tossed another fireball in its hand. Lindsey's choked as her fear tripled.

"Another little witchy to try. My leader will to be so pleased."


	9. Kicked in the guts

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Antonio and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Nine – Kicked in the guts.

"_Well what do we have here?" the demon smirked as it tossed another fireball in its hand. Lindsey's choked as her fear tripled._

"_Another little witchy to try. My leader will to be so pleased." _

For the third time in the past 15 minutes, Chris sighed and pushed his paperwork around his desk. He sat back and rubbed his face with his hands. He'd been trying to concentrate on the paperwork all night and he wasn't having much success. He knew he should be working on it; he'd been putting it off for far too long already and he needed to get it done. But all he could seem to think about was Lindsey and how her first night was going.

He hadn't hung around after he'd introduced her to the bar manager of Triquetra. He hadn't wanted her to think he was crowding her and the bar manager had held his position for five years, so he knew what he was doing and how to train people to do the same. He couldn't have left her in better hands. But ever since then he'd had to resist the urge to go check on her every five minutes. He wanted to know how she was doing. And the urge was seriously messing with his time management. Deciding that he wasn't going to get any work done at all if he didn't give in to this crazy compulsion to make sure she was okay and see that her first night was going well, he pushed back from his desk and headed out into the restaurant.

Walking over to the bar, he frowned in confusion when he didn't see the object of distracted thoughts. Where was Lindsey? She should have been right there, behind the bar. Unless she was on a break… Spotting his bar manager, he called him over and asked where his newest employee was.

"She's taking the rubbish out to the bin in the alley. We were in a lull and the runner in the kitchen was running a little behind so Lindsey offered to help." The bar manager frowned. "But now that I think of it, that was a while ago. She should have been back by now."

As soon as the last of the words finished leaving the bar manager's mouth, Chris got a very bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He frowned and was about ask why someone hadn't gone looking for her when he suddenly gasped loudly as his Whitelighter senses exploded with warning and foreboding for Lindsey's safety. Dear god! Why the hell had he left her alone?! Without a second thought, he turned and bolted towards the alley, his heart in his throat and a single thought running through his mind.

_Oh god no. Not her. Please not her!_

~0~

Lindsey stared up at the cruel smile on the demon's face as he continued to toss the fireball up and down in his hand. Her shoulder was pulsing with agony and she could feel the blood from the wound running down her arm. Her mind was still fogging from the pain and her fear wasn't making it any better. It was overwhelming and her heart felt like it was going to explode from the rapid hammering it was doing, but as the demon reached towards her, something stirred in the back of her mind. A voice began to shout at her.

_What are you doing? Are you crazy? You're just lying there, waiting for him to hurt you again! You're a Ravenblood for god's sakes! You can control the elements and he has fire in his hand! Now stop being a victim, get up off your ass and start fighting!_

Lindsey blinked as the voice, which surprisingly sounded a lot like her Chris, cleared away some of the fog in her brain. Realising that she was making this far too easy for the demon, she took a deep breath, pushed the pain from her shoulder to the back of her mind and raised her hand as she narrowed her eyes on the fireball. She opened herself up slightly to her magic and called the fireball to her. She smiled as it zoomed away from the demon and landed in her outstretched palm, causing the demon to freeze in shock and stop reaching for her as he lost control of the only defence he had.

Taking advantage of the demon's surprise, Lindsey drew her legs up and propelled her feet into the demon's stomach, shoving him back onto his ass and away from her so she could get up off the ground. The demon pulled himself up and scrambled to his feet as well and they stood facing each other in a sort of Mexican standoff until the demon smirked again, a little less confidently this time.

"So it looks like little witchy is more powerful than I thought. No matter. Let's just see if she can handle a little more firepower than shall we?"

Lindsey only just had time to think that him referring to her in the third person was really annoying before she realised what he was going to do. She quickly opened herself up wider and released more of her magic before she was suddenly bombarded by fireball after fireball. Raising the hand that already contained the first fireball, she flung it back at him, turned her palm up to face him and began to either deflect or return each fireball as they came her way. The alley began to rain with fire as demon and witch continued to throw the element at each other. But with the pain from her shoulder and the blood she'd lost, Lindsey's concentration wasn't as it should be while the demon was still expertly dodging every one of her return throws. Sweat ran down her forehead and she blinked as her vision wavered. Her control of her gifts flickered and she suddenly realised that she wasn't going to be able to keep this up for very much longer. Her eyes flicked around the alley, looking for another way to defeat him, or at least distract and then capture him.

_Maybe if I drown the fire_ she thought dizzily and with a quick move that made her head spin, she stepped to the side to avoid his missiles, drew on her gifts and all of the water lying in puddles around the alley zoomed up and began to bullet towards the demon. It hit him with the force of a freight train, slamming him back against the wall and fizzing out his fireballs. _Thank god it bucketed down last night_ Lindsey thought as she began to push roots up out of the earth to bind him with. Unfortunately she didn't get very far, as suddenly there was nothing to tie up. The demon wasn't there anymore. She blinked slowly in confusion, looking around for him, and then gasped as her shoulder was gripped tight and twisted. Her scream of pain was cut off as another hand gripped her throat and she was pushed back against the damp wall with a very angry (and wet) demon in her face. _Forgot they could shimmer didn't you? _she mocked herself as the demon tightened his grip and snarled.

"Stupid bitch. Think you can stand up to me? I can kill you with one hand tied behind my back! In fact, let me prove it…" he said with a smirk as he let go of her shoulder and did in fact put one hand behind his back. The other hand tightened even further on her throat and Lindsey made a choking sound as her vision began to grey around the edges. The fog came back with a vengeance and no matter how hard she tried; she couldn't concentrate enough to use her magic.

_I guess I wasn't supposed to live in the future after all_ she thought distantly as she began to lose consciousness. _I'm sorry Chris…_

As she felt herself begin to slip away, Lindsey couldn't help but become aware of a sort of background noise. She focused the last of her concentration on it and realised that it sounded a lot like an angry bellow. And that bellow sounded a lot like her name. Before she could figure out what it meant, the pressure on her throat abruptly lessened and she gasped as she could suddenly breathe again. She drew in large gulps of air as she slid down the wall to slump onto the wet ground. Once her vision had cleared a little, she slowly raised her heavy head to see how she was still alive. Her eyes opened wide as she realised what she was seeing. The demon was sprawled on the ground on the other side of the alley and Chris was standing just in front of the door to the restaurant with an expression of rage on his face. He must have TK'ed him away from her. He stared at the demon and Lindsey thought that she would be petrified if he ever looked at her the way he was looking at the demon.

Their enemy didn't stay down long. He struggled to his feet and formed a fireball in his hand. Lindsey was about to croak out a warning when Chris raised his hands and Elder bolts shot from them to slam into the demon. They quickly overpowered his fire and Lindsey winced and looked away as the demon started to flop and flail around, his body beginning to smoke and then suddenly there was a column of fire where he had been standing. Within a second he was gone, leaving only a smoking scorch mark and an echo of a scream behind him.

Lindsey drew in a deep, shuddering breath as she abruptly realised that she wasn't going to die. Her hand came up to grip her shoulder and she let her head drop as the adrenaline that had kept her going so far poured out of her system like a waterfall. Her head swam and when her arms were captured in a tight grip, she only just had enough energy to lift her head and look at Chris. She frowned when she saw his expression. He didn't look concerned or anything like that. He looked… angry still?

Chris pulled her hand away from her arm to inspect her wound and his expression hardened further when he saw how bad it was. No saying a word, he stood up, reached down and picked her up until he was carrying her. Lindsey began to protest weakly.

"No, stop, I can walk, I'm too heavy-"

"Shut up" Chris snapped and Lindsey's mouth dropped open in surprise. Before she could say another word she felt a bubbling, swirling sensation in the chest, her vision turned blue at the edges and the next thing she knew, she was somewhere else.

~0~

Lindsey looked around tiredly as Chris strode over to a white leather couch and gently put her down before leaving the room. They seemed to be in a very sophisticated looking apartment. Nothing looked familiar and she frowned. She had no idea where she was. She looked at Chris in confusion as he came back into the room carrying an assortment of first aid supplies.

"Where are we?" she rasped at him as he crouched down in front of her and pulled her arm away from where she was cradling it against her chest. His eyes flicked up to hers before he looked back at her burn.

"My apartment. I've got better first aid supplies here then the restaurant does" he said shortly and Lindsey blinked in surprise. He lived here? The place didn't look anything like him! Chris seemed to realise what she was thinking and he grimaced.

"It's more Bianca's taste then mine" he muttered, still not looking at her. Lindsey nodded slowly. That made sense. She then jumped and groaned in pain as Chris took hold of her shirt and ripped the sleeve away from the wound. Chris scowled.

"I'm sorry but it has to be done! Wyatt's in the Underworld at the moment so I can't call him to come heal you. You'll just have to put up with it until he's back!" he snapped again as he began to gently wipe away the blood and apply some type of ointment which immediately cooled the burning a bit. Lindsey blinked again and scowled as well as the cooling sensation quickly faded and the wound began to throb anew.

"Why are you angry at me for? I'm the one that's hurt here!" she grumbled as she closed her eyes against the pain.

"Yes and you probably wouldn't be as hurt if you had actually used your brains and called me the instant you realised you were in trouble!" Chris snapped back. He glared fiercely at the wound as he wound a bandage tightly around her shoulder.

"And if you had of called me, you wouldn't have deep bruises in the shape of a hand print around your neck! So I'm sorry but you're not going to get any pity from me. This is your own fault!"

Lindsey stared at him as he stood up and stepped back from her. His face was a hard mask but as she looked into his eyes, she drew in her breath in shock. They burned hotly, which could only mean one thing. He was incredibly angry. And all because she was too stubborn to ask for help when she needed it. And she was the first to admit that in that alley she had needed it.

"I'm sorry I didn't call out for help" she said quietly. Chris stepped back and turned to look at her for a second before all the angry seemed to drain out of him in an instant. He sighed.

"It's not that you didn't ask for help Lindsey, though that is part of it. It's the fact that I'm your Whitelighter and you don't trust in me enough to feel you can call me. You'd rather face a demon alone then ask for my help" he said with a shake of his head.

Lindsey opened her mouth and then closed it again. He was right. She was so focused on moving on with her life and from him that she had nearly gotten herself killed instead of involving him. God she was an idiot. Chris was her Whitelighter and she needed to trust him and involve him in all aspects of her witch life, even if it meant experiencing a little emotional pain on her part. She sighed and opened her mouth to apologize again when Chris, who was still watching her, froze. She frowned at him.

"What is it?" she asked. Chris shook his head and cocked it a little as if he was listening. Lindsey raised her eyebrows and listened as well. Suddenly she heard it. A faint moaning sound, as if someone was in pain.

"Is there someone else here?" she asked softly as she listened harder.

"There shouldn't be" Chris murmured back and then both their heads swivelled towards the back of the apartment as the moaning sounded again, louder this time. And it definitely wasn't a pain filled moan. Lindsey's eyes widened in shock.

"Chris what's back there?" she asked warily and Chris looked at her briefly, his face hard again.

"The bedroom" he said abruptly before he turned and strode out of the room towards the sounds. Lindsey hurriedly got to her feet and followed him, her wound all but forgotten. She grabbed his arm as they got to the door.

"Chris maybe you shouldn't…" she said desperately as Chris's hand reached for the doorknob. She didn't want to see him hurt and going by the sounds, if he opened that door at the moment, he was definitely going to be hurt.

Chris closed his eyes and it looked like he was going to take her advice. But then they both heard another moan, a more masculine one this time, and Chris's eyes went as wintery.

"Yes I should" he said and he pushed the door open. The room was dimly lit but they both had no trouble seeing the two figures moving in the bed. Lindsey blanched and looked away as she realised what she was seeing but Chris stared silently for a second before his mouth twisted in disgust.

"Having fun?" he sneered and both figures jumped in surprise. Bianca scrambled off her toyboy and spun around in the bed to stare at Chris in horror.

"Chris! Oh god, it's not what it looks like, I swear!" she cried as she hugged the sheet to her chest. Chris raised his eyebrow.

"Oh yeah? So what is it then? Because it really looks like my fiancée is cheating on me" he said and Lindsey had to hold back a laugh.

"Fiancée? Chilosa, you are engaged?" the man beside Bianca asked. Lindsey snorted and Bianca's gaze swung to her. Trust Bianca to go for a guy who would call her in slang terms, 'little hottie.'

"Shut up Antonio!" Bianca snapped, still glaring at Lindsey and the guy with the jet black hair and designer stubble frowned. Lindsey really didn't see what she saw in him. She much preferred guys who didn't try far too hard to fit the look of a stereotypical Spanish male. Plus green eyes were a lot nicer than black ones.

"And what is she doing here anyway?! Still trying to horn in on my territory?!" Bianca snarled and Chris stopped staring at the guy to look at Bianca, his face blank.

"Watch yourself Bianca. You've got no right to say anything. Not after this" he said quietly. He then turned back to the other occupant of the bed.

"And to answer your question, she's not engaged. Not anymore" he told him. He looked back at Bianca who had a look of absolute shock on her face.

"I'll let you know when I'll be over to pick up my stuff" he said as he reached out the take Lindsey's hand. As they orbed away, Lindsey thought she heard Bianca scream in anger after them.

~0~

Lindsey swayed the instant they reformed, her wound making itself known again with a vengeance. Her world tilted as her vision dimmed and she vaguely realised that Chris was once again carrying her. She blinked to clear the spots from in front of her eyes as she was gently placed on the couch in the living room of the Manor. Turning her head, she saw that the bandage on her shoulder was no longer stopping the bleeding. She groaned as she watched the last of the white turn red before she turned her head away and closed her eyes. She was so tired. A thought ran through her head and she gave a weak laugh.

"What's so funny?" she heard a deep male voice murmur and she opened her eyes again to stare at the guy who had saved her life. She frowned slightly at that thought. She needed to thank him. She wouldn't be able to settle until she had.

"This really wasn't the way I wanted to celebrate my 21st birthday" she moaned as her shoulder burned with agony. Chris chuckled.

"Yeah I can understand not wanting to bleed all over the place on your birthday" he said and Lindsey smiled feebly before she closed her eyes again and sighed.

"Don't fall asleep Lindsey" Chris warned and she groaned in protest. Chris sighed and Lindsey frowned slightly as she suddenly felt something that felt a lot like her hair being stroked. Man she must be more out of it then she thought.

"I know honey but you need to stay awake. It's dangerous to sleep at the moment. It's not for very much longer, I promise. Wyatt said he'd be back in time to watch a movie with me tonight and that movie's about to start. As soon as he's in range again… ah, there he is. WYATT! GET YOUR ASS HERE BROTHER! YOU'RE NEEDED!"

Lindsey moaned again as Chris's shout caused her to jump in surprise and her wound to scream. She opened her eyes and blinked as the room was suddenly filled with swirling blue and white lights and the Twice Blessed arrived.

"What's the matter Chris? I thought we were meeting at your place?" Wyatt asked and Chris frantically shook his head.

"Never mind that. Help Lindsey!" he said urgently as he pointed at the couch. Wyatt spun around and his eyes widened before he hurried to Lindsey's side.

"What happened?" he asked as he unwrapped her shoulder and began to heal her. Lindsey sighed in relief as slowly, her pain began to disappear.

"Attacked by a demon" she said. "He took me by surprise and caught my shoulder with a fireball."

"And these?" Wyatt asked, tapping her bruised neck lightly. Chris snorted.

"She got those because she decided not to call for me. She got cocky and thought could handle everything herself. I arrived to find her up against the wall with the bastard choking her to death. She's bloody lucky I sensed her danger in time!" he snapped angrily. Lindsey opened her eyes and glared at him. Yes she had made a mistake but he didn't have to keep going on about it!

"Well I would have been able to handle it if I hadn't been distracted!" she snapped back at him. Chris raised his eyebrow.

"And what, pray tell, were you distracted with?" he snarled.

"Umm, maybe the dead body that I just happened to trip over?!" she hissed furiously. Chris's mouth fell open and Wyatt stepped back from her with a nod and then looked at her curiously.

"There. All done. You found a body?" he asked. Lindsey nodded as she twisted her newly healed shoulder.

"Thanks. Yeah I did" she said. Wyatt turned to look at his brother.

"Coincidence that she gets attacked by a demon straight after she finds a body?" he asked him and Chris frowned and shook his head.

"No I didn't think so either. Could be related to the missing witches. You go check it out and I'll go talk to the Elders" Wyatt said. Chris nodded at his brother and Wyatt orbed away. As Chris turned to do the same thing, Lindsey hurriedly called his name. She couldn't let him leave without at least acknowledging the two elephants in the room. He turned to her with a raised eyebrow, an impatient look on his face.

Lindsey took a deep breath and gathered her courage. "Ah, look, about Bianca…"

Chris's expression shut down faster than a computer with a virus. "I don't want to talk about it" he said and Lindsey sighed.

"I understand that but I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry. That's a horrible way for a relationship to end" she said softly. Chris frowned, turned away from her and then said something that surprised Lindsey greatly.

"The relationship has been over for a while; I just didn't want to admit it" he said. He began to orb out when Lindsey stopped him once again.

"What?!" he snapped at her. Lindsey looked down.

"Thank you for saving my life" she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. The words fell into empty air and she looked up at her saviour. Chris looked torn.

"I was just doing my job" he said gruffly before he orbed away. Lindsey smiled to herself at his exit. He might say he was only doing his job but his expression said something else. It seemed like her and the man she loved might actually end up being friends after all.


	10. Circling

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Ten – Circling.

"_I was just doing my job" he said gruffly before he orbed away. Lindsey smiled to herself at his exit. He might say he was only doing his job but his expression said something else. It seemed like her and the man she loved might actually end up being friends after all. _

Chris orbed into the alley behind Triquetra and couldn't help flinching slightly as he looked around. His eyes locked onto the place where that asshole of a demon had had Lindsey up against the wall with his hand around her throat. If he gotten there even a minute later… He shuddered. He didn't want to think about that. Lindsey was alive and the demon was dead and that was all that mattered. And he had a job to do as quickly as possible. He wasn't going to leave Lindsey alone any longer then he had to.

He ventured further into the alley, heading over to the bin at the back. As he did, he couldn't help thinking that it was lucky no one else had gotten attacked back here. The place was so dark. He told himself that first thing the next morning he was going to see about getting security lights set up. No one else was going to be nearly strangled to death on his watch again.

_No they just get stabbed in the stomach_ he thought with a silent curse as he crouched down in front of the body that had led to Lindsey getting attacked, turned it over and instantly saw how it was killed. No, not it. Her. The body was clearly female. He squinted down at her for a second and then cocked his head in confusion. That didn't look like a knife wound… he quickly conjured up a ball of orbs so he could see the cause of death more clearly. His eyes widened as he figured out what he was seeing. This girl hadn't been stabbed in the stomach. No knife could ever possibly do this to her. No knife could ever rip out someone's womb, leaving only a bloody, ragged, baby fist sized hole behind it.

Chris sighed as he looked down at the poor girl. Well at least now he knew why Lindsey had been attacked. She must have stumbled upon the demon dumping his victim. Because there was no way this wasn't a supernatural killing. No human could ever have done that. He stood back up and, hoping that Wyatt had gotten the identities of the four missing witches from the Elders, he called out his brother's name. Wyatt orbed in a second later.

"Hey. Did you find it?" Wyatt asked. Chris nodded.

"Yeah. She was right where Lindsey said she'd be" he said, gesturing behind him. Wyatt crouched down beside the body and echoed Chris's earlier sigh.

"Well at least we've found out what happened to our first missing witch" he murmured as he surveyed the scene. Chris raised his eyebrow in question.

"She's one of the missing?" he asked and Wyatt nodded.

"The first one. Her name is Eileen Scimmer. She's is, or was, a witch practitioner and didn't have any true magical powers. She and the boy she's been with since she was fourteen got married two months ago. They were trying for a baby. She was only 22 years old" he said sadly. Chris cringed, shook his head and rested his hand on his brothers' shoulder.

"We can't save every innocent Wyatt" he said quietly and Wyatt stood up and turned to face him with a frustrated grimace.

"I know, but it's hard when the innocent was truly that. Innocent. She had her whole life ahead of her Chris. She was in the process of starting her own family and now that's never going to happen. She'll never go home to her husband again and she'll never hold her baby in her arms. She'll never even have the chance to get pregnant in the first place."

Chris watched his brother closely as the Twice Blessed rubbed his face with his hands tiredly. He frowned in concern when he saw the shadows haunting his eyes.

"She isn't Lydia, Wyatt" he said in a soft voice and watched as his older brother froze and then his shoulders sagged.

"I know she isn't Chris. But the situations are similar and I can't help but compare them" he said bleakly. Chris frowned again at the tone. He raised his eyebrow.

"Oh? Did Lydia have a secret husband that we didn't know about?" he asked, trying to lighten the mood. He hated seeing his brother this way. The death of his childhood and high school sweetheart had torn Wyatt apart and even though it had happened many years ago, it still sat heavy on his heart. Wyatt smiled softly and shook his head.

"No of course she didn't. But if she had lived we could have been just like them. Married young and starting a family." Chris drew his brows together in annoyance.

"So could a lot of people Wyatt! Her situation is pretty common. Hell, one of our own cousins is leading a very similar lifestyle" he said, referring to their cousin Kat Mitchell, Paige and Henry's daughter and Tamora's twin, who was engaged and living with her fiancé. She was also trying for a baby, though her parents and the rest of the family didn't know that. Only Chris knew that at the moment.

"You need to stop taking the death of every young female innocent personally. We caught and vanquished the warlocks who killed Lydia and getting depressed every time we come across something that reminds you of her death is not at all healthy and definitely isn't the way she would have wanted you to live your life. It was eight years ago Wyatt. Don't you think it's about time you started moving on?"

Wyatt stared at him, stupefied, for a second before his blue eyes began to heat with temper. He folded his arms and glared at his brother.

"Just shut the hell up Chris! You have no idea what you're talking about! I loved her. She meant everything to me. She was sweet and brave and _innocent_ and then evil came along and corrupted and destroyed that! Just like it's done here. And if I have to work night and day to stop that from happening to another innocent young girl, then I will! So stop sticking your nose in where is doesn't belong and leave me the hell alone!" he snarled before he orbed away.

Chris closed his eyes and sighed. He hadn't meant to upset his brother. He just really wanted to get through to him that his life hadn't ended when Lydia's had. There should be more to it then teaching at Magic School and hunting down evil with a single minded focus. But instead he'd just made him angry. He turned to look at the victim once more.

"Well I guess I'll be the one telling Darryl that you're here" he murmured to himself. With one last look, he orbed away to do exactly that, trusting that the recently appointed police Captain and long-time friend will take care of the sadly deceased young witch and quietly get rid of any and all supernatural evidence.

~0~

After informing Darryl about the body, Chris zipped in to explain to his frantic bar manager why Lindsey had never come back to work (she had taken ill and had needed to go home instantly. It was surprising how often his staff swallowed that cock-and-bull story). As he was leaving the restaurant, he felt a slight tingle of warning. Deciding that this meant that he'd left Lindsey alone for far too long, he orbed straight back to the Manor and into a scene of chaos. His parents, Wyatt and Lindsey were all there and his mother was doing her best to calm down a very angry, and by the look and smell of it, very drunk Bianca. Wyatt was standing in front of Lindsey protectively, who was glaring over his shoulder at the phoenix with a couple of bloody, painful looking scratches scoring her cheek, and his father holding onto Bianca's arm tightly, as if he was restraining her. The instant Chris orbed in, Bianca jerked out of Leo's hold and threw herself at him, sobbing loudly. He grabbed her tightly as she barrelled into him. It was either that or end up on the floor with her on top of him.

"Chris Chris please, I'm sorry I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, it meant nothing, please it's all her fault, I love you please please" she blubbered against his chest. Chris screwed his nose up at the strong smell of whiskey that seemed to have sunk into her pores. He jerked her back and stared at her, for the first time taking note that even though she was making a lot of noise and tears were dripping down her cheeks, there was no sadness of heartbreak in her eyes. If anything, under the fog of alcohol, they looked calculating. He gently pushed her back and away from him and narrowed his eyes at her.

"What are you doing here Bianca?" he asked in a suspicious tone. His eyes flicked to Lindsey and her most recent wounds before going back to his ex-fiancée. Bianca sniffed, wiped her cheeks and then sidled up to him, fluttered her eyelashes and ran her fingernail down his arm seductively. Chris frowned and stepped back from her.

"You know that you're the only one for me Chris" she murmured and Chris raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

"It didn't look like that earlier this evening" he said and Bianca pouted.

"That wasn't my fault. I was lonely and he seduced me" she said and across the room, Lindsey snorted. Bianca spun around, swayed and steadied herself and then glared hatefully at the younger woman.

"Shut up! This is your fault! All your fault! He'd still be with me if it wasn't for you!" she hissed. Lindsey snorted again and crossed her arms.

"How is you sleeping with someone else and Chris catching you in the act my fault?" she asked. She then cringed slightly as the other occupants of the room gasped. Her eyes met Chris's apologetically. Chris sighed and shrugged. They had to find out eventually.

"Oh Chris honey, I'm so sorry, that would have been terrible to witness" Piper said to her son sympathetically. Wyatt stepped over to his brother and put a hand on his shoulder, his anger at him from earlier forgotten. Chris smiled at them both in thanks. Everyone was so caught up in this little development that they forgot about Bianca until she growled and, with her path cleared, threw herself at Lindsey.

Both Chris and Wyatt lunged forward to grab her but couldn't reach her in time. Leo was too far away as well and seeing that, Lindsey braced herself and stepped forward to meet her determinedly. The expected collision didn't happen though, as suddenly Bianca froze in mid-air. Chris's mouth fell open and he swung around to stare at his mother, who was slowly lowering her hands.

"Okay, didn't expect that to work" she murmured as she looked back at Chris. He blinked at her before he turned to stare at the frozen phoenix in disbelief. Wyatt frowned and looked at his mother curiously.

"Then why did you try it?" he asked and Piper shrugged.

"Just a hunch" she said and then sighed.

"Please tell me you've broken up with her" Leo said as he to, eyed the statue in the middle of the room. Chris nodded.

"I did as soon as I caught her" he murmured. He sighed. He had suspected that Bianca had been dipping into the dark side of things but he hadn't wanted to believe it. But now he no choice as this clearly confirmed it. Bianca wasn't good anymore. Because good witches don't freeze. He scowled, stepped over to her and put his hands on her frozen shoulders firmly.

"Unfreeze her" he told his mother. Piper looked at him silently for a second before she raised her hands and did as her son said. Bianca's forward movement started again, but instead of reaching her intended target, she found herself stopped suddenly by the man she claimed to love. She blinked in surprise for a couple of seconds before, realising what must have happened, she shrieked and started struggling in Chris's hold. Chris just held her tighter.

"Bianca stop it. Stop it! What happened between us isn't Lindsey's fault" he said as he shook her gently.

"Yes it is! We were happy before she showed up!" Bianca cried and Chris shook his head.

"No we weren't. Our breakup was inevitable. Catching you the way I did was just the final nail in the coffin. So you need to go now. I'll be over tomorrow to get my stuff and after that I think it would be best if we didn't see each other again."

Bianca stopped struggling as Chris's words broke through her haze of anger. She stared at him in disbelief and her eyes widened as she read the resolve in his eyes. Expecting that she wasn't going to get any further tonight, she stepped back. She looked at Lindsey, who had between watching everything unfold with disbelieving eyes, her furious gaze shooting venom.

"Watch your back little girl. We wouldn't want you to have another… _accident_ now would we?" she hissed. Chris jolted at her words and stepped towards her again but before he could reach her, she shimmered out of the room.

~0~

Lindsey glowered at the floor as once again, Wyatt had to heal her. God damn Bianca. She'd just been sitting there, minding her own business, waiting for the brothers to get back and explain what 'missing witches' they were talking about, when the phoenix had appeared out of nowhere and assaulted her. And that crazy bitch had _very_ long fingernails. They'd been grappling on the floor with Bianca trying her best to peel Lindsey's face off when Piper and Leo had come home. Lindsey was thankful they had. It was the second time she'd been taken by surprise and needed to be rescued that night and it proved that she needed to work on her reflexes. She didn't want it to happen again.

She looked up and smiled her thanks when Wyatt's glowing hand moved away from her cheek, thinking that he was finished. Her smile turned back into a frown when it just moved down to her neck.

"How about we get rid of these at the same time" he said with a smile and Lindsey blinked in surprise. She'd forgotten about her neck and it seems so had Wyatt if he was just healing them now.

"You should have done that when you healed her shoulder" Chris muttered and Lindsey's gaze was drawn to him. He was staring at her with a frown on his face.

"My shoulder was a bit more important at the time" Lindsey said and Chris frowned even more.

"Yeah, but the bruises look worse" he muttered and Wyatt looked at him in amusement as he stepped back from Lindsey's newly healed throat.

"Okay does someone want to explain what happened to Lindsey's shoulder and why it and her neck needed to be healed in the first place?" Piper asked and the three younger witches turned to look at the matriarch. Lindsey shrugged.

"I got attacked by a demon in the alley behind Triquetra" she said. Piper gasped and was by her side in an instant.

"What?! Are you okay?" she asked and Lindsey smiled and nodded.

"I'm fine now Piper. He took me by surprise and managed to catch me in the shoulder with a fireball. I fought back but the wound was pretty bad and it distracted me. The demon managed to get right up next to me and get his hand round my throat. Luckily Chris sensed that I was in trouble and came and saved the day."

Piper frowned and turned to her youngest son. "How did you sense her?" she asked. Chris grimaced.

"I'm her Whitelighter" he muttered and Piper's mouth fell open before she began to chuckle quietly.

"Of course you are" she murmured before turning back to Lindsey. "So was it a random attack?" she asked and Chris shook his head. Lindsey looked at him in surprise.

"No not really. Lindsey was taken by surprise because she found the body that the demon had just dumped there. It was the body of one of the missing witches" he said and Piper grimaced and sighed.

"Okay you need to explain that. What missing witches?" Lindsey asked.

"Four witches have gone missing over the past week. Until tonight, no one had any idea what had happened to them. The body you found was the first one taken" Wyatt explained. Lindsey's eyes widened in surprise.

"So the demon that attacked Lindsey may have been the demon that killed our witch? Why didn't you capture him instead of vanquishing him?" Leo asked Chris. He looked away guiltily.

"I, ah, didn't think of that. I was sort of… angry at the time" he mumbled. Wyatt folded his arms and grinned while both Leo and Piper exchanged a glance and then smiled softly as well.

"It doesn't matter that we didn't capture him. I remember what he looked like so we can look him up in the Book" Lindsey said and Chris threw her a grateful glance. She smiled at him in return and he blinked and looked away. She was frowning at his reaction when Piper grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Well what are we waiting for?" she asked as she pulled Lindsey up the stairs behind her.

~0~

"There. That's him. Well maybe not exactly him but he looked a lot like that" Lindsey said as she slapped her hand onto the Book to stop Piper from flipping pages. Chris, Wyatt and Leo came over to look as well as Piper read out the page.

"'Baynock Demons. Lower level demons whose main goal is to advance themselves in Underworld society until they are at the top. They've tried and failed many times over the years and their leader, known only as Jonus, has sworn never to stop trying. They are easily vanquished by active powers, are not considered a threat and are distinguishable by their red eyes, similar to those of The Kevmay but without the same destructive qualities.' Well if it is them then they shouldn't be too hard to defeat."

"It's them. That demon's eyes looked exactly like that" Lindsey said as she tapped the drawing of the human looking male with blazing red eyes on the page.

"So why are they kidnapping witches?" Wyatt asked. Chris frowned at him.

"Our dead witch had her womb removed. And you said Wyatt that she was trying for a baby. Do you think maybe the Baynock Demons stole the Vessel as well? That they might be trying to do something with a magical soul?" Wyatt's eyes widened.

"That would make sense. But why would they want a magical soul for? We really need to find the other witches to confirm this" he said and Chris nodded. Lindsey looked between the two before she held up her hands.

"Hold on a minute. What the hell is a Vessel?" she asked in frustration.

"A Vessel is a magical instrument that the Elders used to carry souls down to earth in. They've been retired now and I thought they'd been locked away. You didn't tell us one had been stolen" Leo answered as he looked at his sons questionably.

"Honestly, I forgot. It didn't really seem important. It does now though" Wyatt said with his own frown.

"Well there's nothing you can do about it tonight. No Wyatt, it's too late to go looking now" Piper said when it looked like her oldest was going to protest. "Both Chris and Lindsey have had a hard day and it's still Lindsey's birthday. How about we invite everyone over for a little celebration? Get everyone's mind off there problems."

As Leo supported his wife and the Halliwell brothers eventually gave in, Lindsey smiled to herself. Trust Piper to still try her best to make sure everyone still had a normal life. And a birthday celebration was as normal as you could get.

~0~

The impromptu party was a lot of fun. Phoebe, Paige, Tammy, PJ and Melinda all fussed over Lindsey when they found out what had happened, which got annoying after a while, but apart from that, it was a rather enjoyable evening. The only dark spot – nor maybe more awkward then anything – was when Leo gave Lindsey his birthday present. She didn't want to accept it, she didn't want anything from him, but she couldn't refuse. She reluctantly opened the gift and pulled out the string bag. She looked at him curiously before pulling open the bag and emptying it into her hand. A dozen or so small shiny stones fell out, the yellow/gold colour running through them sparkling under the lights. She blinked when she saw them. They were very striking.

"They're called Tiger Eyes. They help support balance and harmony and can help ward off anxiety and fear. They can also help install courage, strength of will and self-confidence. I, ah, thought you might appreciate them at the moment" Leo said softly. Lindsey stared down at them blankly before she looked up at him and then away again.

"Ah, thanks. They're… beautiful." She turned to Piper. "I think I'll call it a night if you don't mind" she told her and at her unwilling nod, she got up and looked at her flatmates.

"Give me a ride home?" she asked and Chris looked between her and his father in confusion as Melinda nodded. Leo's shoulders were slumped. As the other three went to get their stuff and Lindsey went to wait in the foyer for them, Chris followed.

"What's going on with you and my dad?" he asked her and she turned to him in surprise.

"Nothing" she said and Chris snorted.

"Bullshit. You're angry at him for some reason and I want to know why. As far as I can tell, he hasn't done anything to deserve such an unenthusiastic and insulting reaction to his birthday present."

Lindsey's mouth fell open before she narrowed in in annoyance and glared at him.

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about Chris and even if I did, I don't really think it's any of your business" she said. Chris was about to reply when the other three arrived. Lindsey glared at him again before taking Melinda's arm.

"Goodnight Chris" she said pointedly before they orbed away.

~0~

Lindsey sighed as she settled onto her bed. God it had been a long day. She pulled out the Tiger Eye stones and rubbed her thumb over them. They really were beautiful. And they were something she would have loved to get from Leo before he abandoned his son. She sighed again and reached over to put them on her bedside table. She froze in surprise when she saw the small gift box sitting on it.

Picking it up, she looked at it curiously. Where did this come from? Deciding that the only way she was going to find that out was by opening it, she lifted the lid. And gasped.

Sitting inside was a gorgeous dark purple amethyst and silver bracelet. Most of the amethyst was shaped as beads but a couple had been made into flower shapes and the colour of them matched her eyes exactly. Lindsey stared at the bracelet and swallowed hard. Who would give her such a beautiful, elegant piece of jewellery? She took it out with shaking fingers and only then noticed the note that was under it. She lifted out the small piece of paper and opened it, her eyes widening as she read the single, simple line it contained.

_Happy Birthday – Chris._


	11. Hitting the mark

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

**Quick A/N – A big thanks to my guest reviewers whom I can't answer personally. And a big thanks as well to everyone who have read this story but haven't reviewed. Even though I love reviews, (and man do I! Please keep them coming!) just that fact that my story is getting read is awesome in itself! Right that's enough from me. On with the story!**

* * *

Chapter Eleven – Hitting the mark.

_She lifted out the small piece of paper and opened it, her eyes widening as she read the single, simple line it contained._

_**Happy Birthday – Chris.**_

For the second time in almost as many nights, Chris was wide awake when he should have been asleep. He stared up at the ceiling of his childhood bedroom and frowned to himself. It was incredibly frustrating to be awake but to have no idea why. Well he did have a small idea. Something was bugging him. He just didn't know what it was. Something from that day was swimming around in the back of his mind, poking its head up every now and again to tease and taunt him. And that something was important. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out what it was.

He sighed, turned over and closed his eyes. Maybe if he tried harder to sleep, he would wake up in the morning with it sitting in the front of his mind instead of it niggling away at the back. He needed to sleep anyway. He needed all the energy he could get. He had to go round to the apartment in the morning and pack up his things and knowing Bianca, she wouldn't let that opportunity pass…

Chris's eyes flew open. The moment he thought his ex-fiancée's name, an image rushed through his mind. An image from earlier that evening, after Chris had told Bianca to leave, which she had done but not before she'd threatened Lindsey.

"_Watch your back little girl. We wouldn't want you to have another… accident now would we?"_

At the time he really hadn't liked the fact that she thought she could threaten Lindsey, but he hadn't paid all that much attention to her actual words. But as they ran through his mind again, he definitely paid attention to them now.

_We wouldn't want you to have another… accident now would we._ The way she had paused after the word 'another' before saying 'accident' indicated that what she was talking about hadn't been an accident at all. And the only thing that had happened to Lindsey recently that Bianca had claimed was an accident was… He gasped and sat up suddenly. Oh dear god. What had Bianca done?! What had _he_ done?! Without a single thought of the time of night or his state of undress, he orbed.

~0~

He arrived in a dark, almost silent bedroom. His eyes immediately went to the bed, the figure in it causing the only sound in the room as she breathed peacefully in her sleep. He stared silently for a moment before his lips firmed in determination and he sat down on the end of the bed, put his hand on her blanket covered leg and gave it a gentle shake. He really didn't expect her reaction. Lindsey immediately sprang up into an upright position, threw out her hand and Chris suddenly found himself flying off the bed into the air, slamming into the wall on the other side of the room and then turning upside down and hanging from his ankle in the middle of the room by a shackle of wind. He froze in shock and reactions didn't kick in until he saw Lindsey about the lift her other hand.

"Lindsey, wait, stop! It's me!" he cried and Lindsey's aim stilled. She blinked and squinted at him before her eyes widened.

"Chris?" she asked incredulously. "What are you doing here?"

He was about to answer when the bedroom door was thrown open and his cousins and Lindsey's flatmates filled the doorway. They all had their hands raised in defence and all three mouths fell open when they saw Chris's predicament. Then they began to laugh. And laugh. And then laugh some more. Chris sighed and then turned to the girl in the bed who had tied him up so easily.

"You wanna let me down?" he asked quietly as his head began to spin due to the blood rushing to it and Lindsey, who was only just holding back her own laughter, nodded. She lowered her hand and Chris was gently deposited onto the floor. He got to his feet, shook his head to clear it and turned to scowl at his cousins.

"Do you mind? I need to talk to my charge!" he hissed in annoyance. Tammy was the first to pull herself together and she grinned at him.

"Yes I'm sure you do Chris. Because it's definitely something you would do in your pyjamas" she said and Chris, glancing down and realising he was still wearing the pyjama bottoms and white t-shirt he'd gone to bed in, groaned silently.

"So I guess we'll leave you two alone then" she finished cheekily as she dragged the other two giggling girls backwards.

"See you in the morning Lindsey! Don't stay up too late!" Melinda called between bursts of renewed laughter as the door closed behind them.

Once they were gone, Chris turned back to the girl who was still sitting up in the bed and raised his eyebrow.

"Can I sit down or are you going to hang me by my ankle again?" he asked and Lindsey cringed slightly.

"Sorry Chris, but what do you expect? You show up in the middle of the night, wake me up from a dead sleep and then act surprised when I react defensively? It's pretty close to being pitch black in here. How was I supposed to know it was you?"

Chris's eyebrows drew together as he realised she had a point. He'd been so caught up in his need to talk to her that he hadn't even realised how someone just popping up out of nowhere in the middle of the night might cause her to react. She was still getting over being attacked for god sakes! Did he really expect her to welcome anyone with open arms? He sat down on the end of the bed again and ran his hands through his hair.

"Sorry. I didn't think. I just really needed to talk to you" he said quietly and Lindsey blinked at him.

"What about?" she asked, puzzlement in her gemstone eyes. Chris sighed and looked down at his hands.

"Ah, it's about you falling down the stairs" he mumbled and then deciding to dive right in, he lifted his head. "You really didn't fall did you?"

Lindsey stared at him for the longest moment before she slowly and silently shook her head. Chris closed his eyes as guilt crashed over him.

"Tell me what happened" he whispered roughly and Lindsey swallowed.

"Look Chris, it isn't really important-" Chris opened his eyes and stared at her.

"Yes it is. Just tell me."

Lindsey continued to stare at him before she sighed.

"I was looking through the Book when she shimmered in. She was swaying on her feet so at first I thought she'd been hurt. But I soon realised that she'd been drinking. She said a few things, I really don't want to repeat them, and I was heading downstairs to get her something to sober her up when she stopped me. By plunging her arm into my back."

Chris's eyes widened. "She did what?" he whispered and Lindsey sighed again.

"She froze me on the top step with an arm in my back. She said a few more things and then she withdrew her arm. But she pushed me forward at the same time and I ended up going down the stairs. You know the rest" she said quietly.

Chris stared. Jesus it was worse than he'd thought. It really hadn't been an accident. Bianca had deliberately tried to hurt Lindsey. He closed his eyes and slowly lowered his head into his hands.

"Oh god Lindsey, I'm so sorry" he mumbled. "I'm sorry that I let something like that happen to you. And that you lost your baby because I did." He looked up when he felt his hands being tugged downwards.

"Chris, you're not blaming yourself are you? It wasn't your fault. Bianca did this to me, not you" Lindsey said as she frowned at him. Chris huffed out a breath.

"Yes but if I'd realised that she was capable of something like that and kept a closer eye on her, it wouldn't have happened in the first place. But I didn't. I didn't really know her at all and was in denial about the stuff I did know. Because of that, you lost something very important to you." Lindsey shook her head and scowled.

"You weren't her keeper Chris. Yes you were her fiancée, but you didn't control her. Even if you had of kept an eye on her 24/7, she still would have found a way to do what she wanted. What happened, happened. It wasn't your fault and it's really going to annoy me if you continue to think that it was. If you want to play the blame game; put it squarely on the person responsible shoulders. Bianca's."

Once again, Chris's eyes widened. He blinked in surprise. Lindsey's voice had been full of passion and her Amethyst eyes were spitting. Apart from when she'd attacked Bianca, it was the first time he'd seen her so passionate about a subject. And her ardent words had managed to do what she had set out to do. He wasn't completely convinced that Lindsey losing her baby hadn't been his fault, but if she believed so strongly that it wasn't, then maybe it really wasn't. Feeling a lot better about the subject, he smiled ruefully at her. Lindsey smiled back.

"See there you go. It was all her fault and believe me, she'll come to regret it. Karma always gets its own back. Now how about you let me get back to sleep. I do have a job to go to tomorrow you know" she said and Chris laughed.

"Sure. Sorry for disturbing your beauty sleep" he said as he got off the bed. Lindsey grinned.

"Yeah, well, I don't really need all that much of it so I should be good" she joked. As she reached down to pick up the pillow that had toppled off the bed when she'd woken up, getting bathed in moonlight from the split in the curtains in the process, Chris couldn't help but agree with her. She definitely didn't need any more beauty sleep. She was lovely enough already.

He shook his head at his thoughts as she sat back up again. On the way, her arm passed through the shot of moonlight and his eyes were caught on the sparkle on her wrist. He blinked and smiled to himself. She was wearing his bracelet. Lindsey looked up at him as she settled back in the bed and then followed his gaze to her wrist.

"So you like it then" he said with a grin and Lindsey blushed slightly and nodded.

"Yes I do. It's absolutely beautiful Chris. I put it on as to see what it would look like and must have forgotten to take it off. Thank you" she said softly and Chris's grin widened.

"You're welcome. I saw it and thought of you. To be honest I probably would have bought it for you even if it wasn't your birthday" he admitted and then could of swallowed his tongue. Why the hell had he said that for? Lindsey's eyes grew at his admission and then a soft smile graced her lips.

"Well I better go. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight" he said hurriedly.

"Night Chris" Lindsey answered and Chris orbed away with her last smile playing through his mind.

~0~

Collecting his things the next morning wasn't what Chris would call a good time. Bianca was there and after what he'd learned the night before, she was the last person he wanted to see. So he did it as quickly and cleanly as possible. He ignored every plea and innuendo Bianca threw his way, grabbed his clothes and the few items Bianca had let him put on display and, leaving behind a shrieking, sobbing phoenix, orbed back to the Manor without saying a single word to her. Hopefully that would be the last time he would ever have to see her but knowing Bianca, she would continue to make a nuisance of herself until she forced him to take drastic action.

But until then, Chris would do his best to put her out of his mind. After putting his things in the room he grew up in, the place he would be staying in until he found his own apartment, he orbed up to Magic School. Before everyone had left the night before, Wyatt and Chris had decided that Wyatt would go searching the Underworld for the Baynock Demons the next day. There was only a very slim gamble he'd find them, but with three witches still missing and the chance that someone else could get kidnapped, they had to try. While he was doing that, Chris was going to research them and the Vessels as much as possible. Hence why he was heading to Magic School.

Half way there, he changed his mind and orbed to Lindsey's apartment instead. She still had a few hours before she was due at the restaurant and he didn't want her wandering around without protection until then. He landed in the living room where she was lying on the couch, watching TV. She looked up at the sound of his orbing and smiled at him.

"You know, I would have thought that in twenty years, daytime TV would have improved. But apparently not" she said with a sigh of disgust. Chris raised his eyebrow.

"So stop watching it then" he said. "You can come with me instead."

"To do what?" Lindsey asked as she sat up and turned off the set. Chris grinned and rubbed his hands together.

"Research. We need to know as much about the Vessels as we can so we can figure out why the Baynock Demons want one" he said. "Want to go to Magic School?" Lindsey jumped up eagerly.

"Yes please!" she said and Chris laughed. Man she must have been bored out of her mind if she reacted this enthusiastically to research. She stepped over to him and Chris took her hand. A warm glow ran through him when he saw she was still wearing his bracelet.

"Ready?" he asked and Lindsey nodded. He then orbed them up to one of the three places good beings could go to learn their craft.

~0~

After two hours of searching through book after book, Chris was getting incredibly frustrated. They had found nothing. Not a single thing on either the Soul Vessels or the Baynock Demons. This was understandable with the demons. The magical world didn't see them as important so hadn't bothered to record anything about them. It was likely that the only thing they would find on them was the entry in the Book. But the Soul Vessels were another matter.

How could it be possible that there was nothing recorded on them? They were once an important part of the Elders traditions. So why wasn't that written down somewhere? There were truckloads of books in the Magic School library. There had to be something in here somewhere!

Lindsey looked up in amusement as Chris threw his book down and blew out an exasperated breath.

"Research takes time Chris. You should know that" she said as she sat on the couch and flipped through another book. Chris ran his hand through his hair and frowned as he turned to look at her. She looked pretty comfortable, curled up as she was.

"I know, but it's just so annoying! It's a powerful magical object! You'd think these books would be full of mentions of them!" Lindsey closed her book and put it down before picking up another one.

"Well they aren't so we just have to keep looking. The information will be here somewhere" she said as she scanned pages.

Chris scowled. They were wasting too much time! Another witch could be kidnapped while they searched through all this useless information. They needed to speed up the process a bit. He brightened as an idea ran through his head. He opened his mouth and said a spell, adding in a single word in the hope of reducing the effects somewhat.

_Guiding spirits I'll ask your charity.  
Lend me your focus and clarity,  
Lead me to the one thing I cannot find,  
Restore that and my peace of mind._

He looked around as he finished The Lost and Found Spell and he smiled widely as a single book zoomed out from the library depths. He plucked it out of the air and looked at the title. _A History Of The Founders: The Powers That Be. _Well that sounded promising. He looked up at the sound of a chuckle.

"Impatient aren't you?" Lindsey said with a grin. Chris grinned back and shrugged. She rolled her eyes.

"Don't forget about Personal Gain" she warned in a sing-song voice before looking back down and flipping a page. Chris looked back at his own book with a smile and had just come to a chapter called _Fallen Elders_ when Lindsey gasped.

"I've found something!" she said as she sat up and turned to Chris. "Listen to this! 'Soul Vessels are powerful objects that can be used to transport living souls. They were mainly used to transport the recycled souls of Elders but they can be used with any magical soul and can also transform a newly conceived foetus back into its original spirit form. This only works in the first trimester and should only be used when there is no other choice, as staying within the Vessel for too long will slowly extinguish the soul. Souls are meant to reside within a body and need said body to grow and evolve.' That's all it says. But it's better than nothing! It's more then we knew before and… Chris? What is it?"

Chris stared blankly down at the book in his hand. He had skimmed the chapter as Lindsey read out her discovery and at first he'd just felt bemused until what he was reading had registered. His eyes zoomed over the page in shock and confusion as certain sentences began to jump out at him.

_Two Fallen Elders within the past twenty five years… Gideon and Leo… Tried to kidnap and kill Twice Blessed Wyatt Halliwell… Came back from the future to prevent Wyatt from turning evil… Chris Perry… Later revealed to be Piper and Leo's second son… Fell in love with a young Ravenblood witch… Murdered by Gideon's hand… Leo retaliated by killing Gideon… Lindsey was never seen again…_

What the hell? What was this? He head shot up as Lindsey said his name again and he stared at her in disbelief.

"Chris? What's wrong? Did you find something? What is it – Hey!" he heard her yell indignantly as he orbed away, leaving her stranded. But he wasn't worried about that. He'd deal with her later. She was safe there for the moment and right now he had a box to investigate.

~0~

Chris gazed wordlessly at the items spread across the floor in the living room of the Manor. Normally he wouldn't even have thought of going through his parents' closet, but he needed more information. He wasn't surprised when he found the box exactly where the clone said it would be, even though he'd done his best to convince himself that the dream was exactly that. Just a dream. But as soon as he'd read what he had earlier, he'd realised that that conversation was so much more than a dream. And the proof of that was lying right here in front of him.

It wasn't a big box. And it didn't have very many items in it. But what it did have made Chris's heart race. The main components were photos. A lot photos. And every one of them had him, as he is now, as one of the subjects. Most of the time he was with a blond toddler. Reading to him, playing with his toys or just watching over him. But some of them showed him with his mother or his aunts – who looked a lot younger than they should – and Lindsey. A number of them were of him and Lindsey. They looked happy and very familiar with each other. He had his arm around her, or he was laughing down at her, or he was holding her in his arms. In one he even looked like he was about to kiss her.

He sighed, put that photo back down and picked up the wooden bead necklace with the small disk pendant hanging from it. He'd found this necklace as a child and had really liked it so he'd started wearing it. But his mother had freaked out the instant she'd seen it around his neck and demanded he hand it over. He hadn't seen it since. At least now he knew where it had gone.

Next there was the baby blanket. It was deep green and had a black triquetra on it and he knew it wasn't Wyatt's, his or Melinda's because all three of those were packed away in a box in the attic. And then there was the writing. The blanket was obviously a gift because it was signed with the words _Always remember who you are_ and then a signature. And that signature was his. Just like the writing was his handwriting.

Lastly there was a small book. He'd opened in briefly and discovered that it was a diary – his mother's diary to be specific. A diary from over twenty years ago and a diary about someone his mother really hadn't trusted all that much, going by the first few entries. And that person's name was Chris.

He blew out a breath and stared down at the items. They were unbelievable. How could something like this possibly have happened and he'd had absolutely no idea? His face settled into a determined expression. Well he was going to get some answers. He _deserved_ some answered. He was about to orb back up to retrieve Lindsey when he looked up at the sound of orbing and Wyatt and the aforementioned witch appeared.

"Chris, what do you think you were doing, abandoning Lindsey up there? We're only here now because I went up to help you research! That's not very responsib- hey that's me" Wyatt said in surprise as he stepped over and picked up a photo of Chris and the toddler. "And you apparently. How is that possible?" he murmured with a frown.

"That's what I'd like to know" Chris said as his eyes locked on to Lindsey who was staring at the spread on the floor in horror. "Care to explain?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow and Lindsey winced.

"Oh Chris, this really isn't the way we wanted the two of you to find out" she said on a sigh and Wyatt turned back to her.

"Find out what?" he asked in confusion and Chris slowly stood up as he continued to stare at the time traveller.

"Yes Lindsey. Find out what? What the hell is this?" he demanded as he agitatedly kicked a group of photos in her direction. "What the hell is going on here?"


	12. The unbelievable

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Twelve – The unbelievable.

"_Yes Lindsey. Find out what? What the hell is this?" he demanded as he agitatedly kicked a group of photos in her direction. "What the hell is going on here?" _

Lindsey swallowed hard as she stared into Chris's confused and angry eyes. Her gaze quickly flicked to Wyatt to gage his reaction and she sighed silently in relief when she saw that at the moment, he just looked puzzled. She didn't think she could handle two angry Halliwell brothers at once. Her eyes swiftly went back to Chris when he made a frustrated sound.

"Well? Are you going to explain? Or are you just going to continue lying like you've been doing since you got here?" he snapped and Lindsey frowned.

"I've never lied to you Chris" she said softly. Chris scoffed.

"Yeah right. And this isn't something that you deliberately kept to yourself" he said with another kick at the objects on the floor. "If that isn't a lie, I don't know what is!"

Lindsey scowled in frustration. "I swear I've never told you a lie!" she insisted and then sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "But yes there is something you haven't been told. Something that happened nearly twenty three years ago and yes, something that does involve me. But I can't get into it at the moment. It's not only my story to tell. We need to wait for the sisters and Leo." Chris snorted.

"Convenient" he drawled as he folded his arms and glared at her. Lindsey sighed again.

"Will it make you feel better if I call them and ask them to come home?" she asked quietly. When Chris just scowled and turned away from her, Wyatt answered for him.

"I think that would be best Lindsey. It would be nice to get to the bottom of this" he said as he picked up another a photo of toddler him and adult Chris. Lindsey sighed for a third time, nodded and pulled out her phone.

"Piper, you and Leo need to come home and you need to bring Phoebe and Paige with you" she said when the eldest Charmed One answered.

"What's wrong?" Piper asked in concern. Lindsey grimaced.

"Chris found your box. The one from the year I was in two months ago" she answered and after a very pregnant pause, Piper swore softly.

"We'll be right there" she said before hanging up. After doing the same, Lindsey turned back to the brothers. Chris was standing with his back to the room and his arms still folded. She could almost feel the fury and confusion pumping off him. She gazed at his back for a second before she sat down in one of the armchairs and pulled her legs up to hug them. Resting her cheek on her knees, she looked at Wyatt who was crouched down beside the objects on the floor, looking through them curiously. Both brothers ignored her and Lindsey closed her eyes. She really, really wished that she hadn't gotten up that morning. Maybe then her life wouldn't be flipping upside down once again.

~0~

After ten minutes of waiting in tense, squirming silence, squirming for Lindsey at least, all three of the rooms' occupants looked up at the tinkling sound of orbing. Lindsey felt intense relief when she saw the Charmed Ones and their former Whitelighter appear. The last time she'd felt this uncomfortable was when her Chris had first arrived from the future and had treated her with suspicion and distrust. She turned to the four eagerly as Piper stepped over and put her hand on her shoulder. Chris, who had turned around when his family arrived, snorted quietly at the gesture. He raised his eyebrow.

"You've been keeping something from me. From us" he said in a hard voice. Piper looked at him silently and then slowly nodded.

"Yes we have. But we did it for your own good" she said quietly and Chris snorted again and shook his head.

"How is lying to me my whole life for my own good?" he asked bitterly. Piper cringed slightly and took Leo's hand as he stepped over to her.

"Why don't we all sit down and we can tell you the story" he said sensibly. Chris looked at him wordlessly for a moment and then gave a single nod. He walked over and sat down of the sofa with Wyatt beside him. Lindsey stayed where she was and Leo and the sisters ranged themselves around her. The two groups looked at each other silently before Paige exhaled swiftly and sat forward.

"Well someone's got to start and it may as well be me. Why don't we do it the way Leo said. As a story" she said as she looked at the two young Halliwells. Wyatt looked at his brother and when Chris just scowled down at his hands; he sighed and nodded at his aunt.

"That seems like a good idea" he said and Paige took a steading breath.

"Okay. So this story begins twenty two, nearly twenty three years ago, in the year 2004. You've heard the story of when your mom and Phoebe and I were transformed into Goddess's right? Well it was round about then that he showed up."

"Who showed up?" Wyatt asked with a frown. Paige shared a glance with her sisters before she turned back to her nephews. She indicated the photos on the ground.

"Him. The guy in those. The guy from the future who hung around for almost a year and told us his name was Chris Perry." She took a deep breath. "We later found out that his last name wasn't Perry. That was his second name. His real last name was Halliwell and he was Piper and Leo's second son."

Wyatt blinked in shock at Paige's statement but Lindsey wasn't interested in his reaction. Her eyes were on Chris who hadn't moved from contemplating his hands. He was no longer scowling at them, but instead was staring at them with small frown lines digging into his forehead. He still wasn't happy but at least she could no longer feel rage pouring from him. Instead he just seemed to be listening intensely. Paige glanced from one brother to the other before picking up the story again.

"Though we did eventually learn who he was, we didn't know that for a long time and when he just showed up out of nowhere, telling us he was from the future and was there to help us, we were a bit, ah, distrustful. And that came through in the way we treated him. But then Leo disappeared and Chris became our Whitelighter-" Chris's head finally came up and he stared at Paige.

"He was made your Whitelighter?" he asked in a surprised and slightly confused voice. Phoebe touched Paige's arm and took over the story.

"Yes sweetie, he was. Remember we had no idea who he was at the time and neither did the Elders. And Leo had just vanished so they thought it would a good idea to assign us to someone who we already knew."

Wyatt looked at his father. "Where did you go?" he asked and Leo grimaced.

"I was sent to Valhalla" he said and Wyatt's eyebrows winged.

"You were sent? Who sent you?" he asked and Leo glanced at Piper who rubbed his arm in comfort. He sighed and turned back to his sons.

"Chris did" he answered quietly and both Halliwell brothers gasped.

"What?! Why would he do that?" Wyatt cried.

"He needed me out of the picture so that he could have a way to get close to the Charmed Ones without raising any suspicion" Leo said. "He needed to be their Whitelighter. It was imperative to his mission. Plus he really didn't like me all that much" he said sadly. Piper rubbed his shoulder again.

"You changed it honey, just like you promised him you would" she murmured to him and Leo smiled at her. When Wyatt frowned and opened his mouth to ask another question, Paige clapped her hands.

"Okay, we're getting a little off track here people. We will answer everything as the story goes on" she said with a pointed look at her eldest nephew. Wyatt subsided and indicated for Phoebe to continue.

"Chris was made our Whitelighter and he then proceeded to send us out after a lot of different demons. All the time. To the point where we had no other life at all. He was incredibly neurotic about it and it was very annoying, especially for someone who had a love life to experience" she said with a frown. She threw her nephews an exasperated looked when they blanched, shook her head and then carried on.

"It wasn't long before we became sick of this and demanded some answers, but all he would tell us was that he was there to prevent some big evil in the future. It wasn't until Bianca came back and kidnapped him that-"

"Bianca?" Chris interrupted with a frown. Phoebe nodded.

"Yes, she's the same Bianca you're thinking of. She was his fiancée but we didn't find that out until after she'd taken him back to the future. He managed to come back to us and it was then that we found out he was half witch, half whitelighter. We also found out who the big evil was." She turned to Wyatt and looked at him sympathetically. "I'm sorry sweetie, but it was… well, you."

Wyatt's eyes popped out of his head. "Me?" he asked incredulously. Piper nodded and took over the story.

"Yes honey. In Chris's reality, a demon killed me when he was fourteen and at some point after that, you decided to become evil. You ruled his future with an iron fist. You only believed in one thing – power. And you stopped at nothing to get it. Including…" She faulted for a second and then reached out and grabbed both her sons' hands.

"Oh honey, I'm really sorry to say this, but Bianca… well she died by your hand" she told him gently.

Wyatt stared at her in shock before he tore his hand from his mothers and got to his feet to go and stand by the window. Chris just stared at Piper blankly.

"Bianca died?" he asked in a hoarse voice. Piper nodded slowly, her eyes on her eldest. Chris swallowed.

"Why did she kidnap me?" he asked, not even realising he was referring to the Chris they were discussing as himself.

"She did it because Wyatt promised her you wouldn't be hurt if she bought you back and she believed him. So she betrayed you and everything the two of you had worked towards. Because she loved you" Lindsey answered him softly, speaking for the first time. Chris's eyes flicked to hers for a second before going back to his mothers and Piper continued with the story.

"When he told us that, we didn't believe him. Me especially. How could I possibly believe that my little baby boy could ever turn evil? I instantly stopped trusting him and he really didn't do much to try to regain my trust. We lived like that for a while until I walked in on him standing over Wyatt's cot. And he had a demon with him."

Wyatt spun back round to stare at his brother in shock. "You let a demon into my room?!" he cried and Chris frowned fiercely.

"It wasn't me! It was him!" he answered with a growl "I would never do that!" Piper nodded in agreement.

"No honey, you wouldn't. But he would and did. He had a very good reason for doing it which no one but Lindsey believed or even listened to at the time. He was using the demon to scan Wyatt to see if he could figure out what turned him evil. I wouldn't hear that from him though. All I could think of was he'd let a demon near my son. So I told him to leave and not to come back. Which he did" she said on a sigh.

As Wyatt came back to sit down again, Chris stared at his mother in disbelief. Then something seemed to register to him and he turned to Lindsey.

"Why did you believe him when even his own mother didn't?" he asked and Piper cringed slightly in guilt. Lindsey frowned and then looked down at her hands.

"I already knew who he really was and I knew that he'd have a reason for doing what he did. And that he wouldn't have endangered Wyatt intentionally. He was his brother after all" she said in a soft voice. Both Chris and Wyatt stared at her.

"You knew who he was? How?" Wyatt asked. Lindsey looked up and smiled humourlessly.

"I figured it out. He was the spitting image of Piper, apart from the eyes. The eyes were all Prue and he even acted a lot like her. Plus there were other little hints, like him knowing his way around the Manor already and on the first day he showed up, he commented that we never moved anything, like he'd seen it all before. And he tried to hide it, but every time the sisters, especially Piper, didn't trust him or said something bad about him, he would get this look in his eyes. Like what they were saying was hurting him. So I gathered the evidence together and confronted him. He denied it at first and even tried to use Elder Memory Dust on me which my elemental blood prevented from working." She smiled again, and there was just a hint of melancholy behind it.

"He eventually had to trust that when I said I wouldn't tell anyone, I really wouldn't tell anyone. And I didn't. Once he realised this, he stopped treating me like an enemy and-"

"He treated you like an enemy? Why?" Wyatt interrupted curiously as Chris frowned. Lindsey snorted wryly.

"Oh he most certainly treated me like an enemy. When he first arrived, Chris didn't trust me at all and he didn't like me one little bit. For some reason he thought that I shouldn't have been there. I shouldn't have been part of the picture and I definitely wasn't part of his plan. So he spoke to me as little as possible, deliberately cut me out of any demon hunting and every time the Charmed Ones missed a demon or an innocent died, he blamed me. Like something he wouldn't let me have anything to do with was somehow my fault. He made some pretty cutting remarks at times, which didn't help his case in getting the sisters to trust him."

"Yeah, but that was only because he was so unwillingly attracted to you" Paige said with a grin. Lindsey threw her a look as out of the corner of her eye, she saw Chris go still.

"Quiet you. So anyway, he didn't like or trust me and it took me proving that he could and that I wouldn't betray him for him to change his mind. He treated me differently after that. He was still distant but as time went on, he started seeing me as a friend. Someone he could talk to and confide in when one of the sisters unknowingly did something that hurt him. So he saw me as a friend and I, ah…" She briefly glanced at Chris before looking down at her hands again. "Well… I fell in love with him."

There was silence at her whispered statement. Lindsey risked looking up at the brothers and saw Wyatt was looking at Chris, who was copying Lindsey and staring down at his hands with a frown on his face. Wyatt glanced over at Lindsey.

"Okay. Sorry to ask this but, ah… did he feel the same?" he asked gently. Lindsey gave a small laugh and shook her head.

"Not at first. It took a lot for him to trust me in the first place and at times he still reverted back to treating me with suspicion and dislike. There was no way he was going to go further then that. Plus he already had a fiancée though no one knew that at the time."

"But his feelings changed?" Wyatt questioned. Lindsey nodded slowly.

"They did. It wasn't until after Bianca died but they did change eventually. I had no idea that they had though. I was absolutely positive that there was no way he would ever feel for me the way I felt for him. In fact I was convinced that he was completely indifferent to me."

"Which he wasn't and he was proving that when I walked in on him kissing the snot out of you in the attic one day" Phoebe said with a quiet grin. Lindsey cringed slightly at her wording before grinning back at her briefly.

"How'd that happen?" Wyatt asked and Lindsey turned to look at him in surprise. Why was he so interested in this story? But then she watched him glance at his brother again and it clicked. He was asking for Chris because it didn't seem like Chris was capable of talking at the moment. He was too shell-shocked. Lindsey sighed and stared off into the distance as she remembered.

"I took a Darklighter arrow for him which he really didn't like-" Chris's head came up.

"You took an arrow for him?" he asked and Lindsey met his eyes before nodding.

"Yes I did. I loved him. What do you expect? Anyway he didn't like that and we ending up fighting about it. We were in the middle of shouting at each other when, out of the blue, he kissed me."

"So you were together after that?" Wyatt asked when it became clear Chris wasn't going to speak again. Lindsey shook her head.

"Not quite. Not everything runs that smoothly. But we sorted ourselves out eventually and we got together. I didn't think it would go any further then us having a good time together-" Paige snorted and then tried to cover it with a cough. Lindsey turned and mock glared at her.

"Shut up you! Anyway, I was happy with our relationship. Hell, I was happy just to be with him. I didn't realise his feelings went any deeper until I once again stepped in front of an attack for him. And I got very badly hurt in the process." She took a deep breath. "Badly enough that I died briefly before Chris found it in himself to heal me. It was then that I knew that he loved me as much as I loved him."

"Because love is the key to healing" Wyatt murmured and Lindsey nodded.

"Yes it is" she whispered.

There was silence for a while after Lindsey stopped talking. Chris was the first to break it. He turned to his parents.

"How did you find out who he was?" he asked, changing the subject as best he could. Lindsey sighed and looked down again.

"Well as we said, Lindsey was the first to know and she didn't tell anyone. Phoebe found out next. She went on a vision quest and found out during it. She confronted him about it" Piper said with a look at her sister.

"I asked him if he was Wyatt's little brother and he said only if he could get Piper and Leo back together in time. See he'd worked out the date of when he needed to be conceived by and that date was rapidly approaching. He was getting a little freaked out about it, as would anyone if there was a chance they would never be born."

"He was also a little grossed out by the fact that he had to convince his parents to have sex so that he could live" Paige finished with a chuckle. Wyatt grimaced.

"I'm guessing he managed it" he said dryly and Paige shook her head.

"No no, he didn't actually. Things took that course naturally. He tried everything he could think of, even making a wish that Piper and Leo would sleep together when Phoebe was turned into a Genie." She laughed. "Which they did. They literally fell asleep together but nothing more then that. Nothing else he tried worked either. In the process I found out about him, mainly because Phoebe made him tell me, and then the Piper and Leo got trapped on the Ghostly Plane and they both thought Leo was going to die and… well Chris is here now so you get the picture. Just in time too. He was about to fade from existence."

"So how did Mom and Dad actually find out?" Wyatt asked. Piper sighed.

"Phoebe and Paige sat me down and told me that they knew what had happened on the Ghostly Plane. I asked them how they knew and they explained that Chris wouldn't be there if it hadn't of happened. Because he was the baby that had been conceived that night. Chris was my son."

She sighed again and looked at her second child. "You have no idea how guilty I felt about the way I had treated you. I tried my best to make it up to you and eventually we got close. You even started calling me Mom. I was about six months along when Leo found out. We were attacked by the Spider Demon and you were infected." Phoebe picked up the story.

"Piper was wrapped in a cocoon and taken away and we called Leo to help us find both her and you. He was immersed in being an Elder and had no idea Piper was pregnant or that Chris was that baby. He immediately started caring when we told him who you were though. With his help we rescued you both." She sighed and looked at Chris. "But not before you beat the crap out of Leo."

Chris looked confused. "Why would I do that?" he asked quietly. Leo shook his head in sorrow.

"Because you hated me. During your childhood I wasn't all that much of a father to you. I had time for Wyatt but I never had time for you. I basically ignored you and it completely destroyed me when you told me that. I didn't understand how I could have treated you that way. My own son. Anyway, you told me and once I'd gotten over my shock, I told you that maybe you hadn't only come from the future to stop Wyatt from turning evil. Maybe you'd come to repair our relationship as well. You didn't believe me and orbed away and I vowed that I would change your mind and I would never treat my son that way again."

"Which you did and you didn't" Piper said with a fond smile at her husband who smiled back. Chris looked between his parents before frowning and looking away.

"Okay, so we know that. I'm guessing that you found out who was after me as I'm sitting here at the moment and I'm definitely not evil" Wyatt said. Piper nodded.

"We did. It was someone we weren't expecting. It was an Elder named-"

"Gideon" Chris muttered and everyone looked at him in surprise.

"How do you know that?" Paige asked. Chris sighed, pulled a book out from under a pillow and showed it to them.

"This was how I originally knew that something was up" he said. "But that doesn't matter now. Please carry on." Piper eyed her son before continuing.

"We eventually found out that it was him, the Headmaster of Magic School and Leo's mentor, that was after Wyatt. He nearly got him as well but Leo managed to save him and stop the trauma of someone he trusted trying to kill him from turning him. Leo then killed Gideon and-"

"You were an Elder and you _killed?_" Wyatt asked his father, shocked. Leo looked down and Piper put her hand on his arm.

"He had to. The world was out of wack because two realities had mixed together. People were being killed for committing simple things like a traffic offence. A great evil had to be committed for everything to go back to normal. And he was mourning as well because… ah, Oh God."

Chris looked at his mother as her voice cracked with grief. He frowned and glanced at everyone else who were looking sad as well. He looked at Wyatt who just stared back at him, confused.

"What happened?" Wyatt asked gently and both brothers swung round to look at Lindsey when she moaned softly.

"He was grieving because his son had just died" she whispered. Chris's mouth fell open.

"What?" he croaked.

"We were protecting Wyatt when Gideon attacked. We tried to stop him but… ah, G-Gideon s-stabbed Chris in the s-stomach. He died an hour l-later. He just f-faded away to n-nothing" Lindsey whispered roughly with her head buried in her arms.

Dead Silence. You could have heard a pin drop from fifty feet in the living room of the Halliwell Manor. Chris gawked at Lindsey in disbelief until Wyatt cleared his throat.

"Why didn't Dad heal him?" he rasped out. At his words, Lindsey stilled and her head came up slowly to glare through tear-filled eyes at the former Elder.

"Yes Leo. Why didn't you heal him?" she whispered in a voice full of menace. Leo stared at her helplessly.

"You know I tried Lindsey" he said softly and Lindsey growled.

"Yes you tried. But then you gave up. _You gave up._ And an hour later, the man I loved, the father of my baby, died in my arms. He died. He died Leo! He died because you left him and… Oh Jesus. Oh Christ. Oh God no. Please _no_…"

She couldn't hold it back anymore. Her heart cracked and grief swelled inside her in waves, weighing her down and causing her to slide from the chair and onto the floor as her body began to tremble violently. Small keening sounds of pain burst out of her throat and she squeezed her eyes shut tight as tears cascaded from them and down her sheet-white cheeks. She didn't even register a set of arms surrounding her until Leo began to whisper in her ear.

"Oh God Lindsey, I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry. I tried to heal him, you know I did. But Gideon's magic wouldn't let me. He knew that and I know you think I abandoned him, for a long time so did I, but I didn't Lindsey. I really didn't. I saved Wyatt and doing that saved Chris. He's sitting here right now because I saved him. There was nothing I could have done to save your Chris, no matter how many times I tried to heal him. It just wasn't going to work. I'm not asking for your forgiveness but please just except that I did everything I could to save him. How could I not? I loved him just as much as you did" he whispered as he rocked her in his arms.

Lindsey lay crying in his arms for a long time before she sniffed, pulled back and stared at him as her grief calmed down a bit. She took a deep breath as his words finally made their way through to her heart and she was able to do what up until now, had been impossible. She slowly forgave him. Chris's death wasn't his fault and she was finally able to accept that. She threw him a small smile and watched the relief flow across Leo's face as he realised what that meant.

"You must have loved him very much considering how insane you acted after he died" she murmured and Leo smiled.

"Yeah, I'll admit I went a little cuckoo" he said with a chuckle.

"But that was also the Avatars" Piper reminded them with a smile as she watched the person she thought of as a sister and her husband begin to repair their relationship. "If it wasn't for them-"

"Chris? Hey, you okay man?" Wyatt interrupted and everyone turned to look at the younger Halliwell brother. Chris was staring down at his hand. Hands that were clutched into tight fists and were trembling slightly.

"Chris?" Lindsey asked softly and then gasped as his head snapped up and his eyes collided with hers. He took a very deep, shaky breath and then said in a very calm voice-

"The father of your baby?"


	13. Bucking destiny

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Michael and Lindsey

**Quick A/N – Sorry this is so short guys, but the end of this chapter was where I'd originally planned on ending chapter twelve. Half way through I realised that if I did that, the chapter would be far too long. So I split it up, probably not as evenly as I could have – though it did mean I could end the last chapter on a cliffy (tehe!) – and made the original ending chapter thirteen. Right, enough with the boring stuff. On with the story!**

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Chapter Thirteen – Bucking destiny.

"_Chris?" Lindsey asked softly and then gasped as his head snapped up and his eyes collided with hers. He took a very deep, shaky breath and then said in a very calm voice-_

"_The father of your baby?" _

Lindsey felt her eyes widen as Chris's words caused the room to go deathly quiet. She gulped as her breakdown played back through her mind and she suddenly realised what she had just revealed. Her eyes darted down to her hands as she tried to figure out what to say to him. It would have been devastating enough for him to learn that he was living in an alternate timeline because in the original one, he had come back to the past to save the world. Which he had managed to do, but he had also fallen in love and been murdered by the very person he'd come back to stop in the process. And to learn that the woman that the original him had fallen in love with was pregnant with a baby that was genetically his and she had come to into the alternate future still pregnant, only to lose the baby, well… it was confusing enough when _she _thought about it. She couldn't imagine what it must feel like to Chris. Her head came up again when he said her name.

"Are you telling me that the baby you came here carrying, the baby my ex-fiancée caused you to lose, was… _mine?_" he asked slowly.

Lindsey swallowed hard as she stared into his beautiful, bottle-green eyes. Her breath shuddered and her heat skipped a beat as he steadily gazed back at her. His eyes were incredibly intense and it felt as if he was trying to drag the answer to his questions straight out of her soul. At a loss for words as her intelligence deserted her, she did the only thing she could think of. She nodded.

Chris sat right where he was for a long moment after she had given him his conformation, his expression blank. Then all of a sudden he pushed up from his chair and strode across the room to stand by the window with his back to everyone and his arms folded. Lindsey followed his movements with a worried frown. His shoulders were stiff with tension and his back gave absolutely no indication of what he was thinking.

"Did he know? About the baby?" he asked softly as he watched the street outside. Lindsey sighed and, figuring he was talking about her Chris, she pulled herself back up into her chair.

"No. I was only about a week along when Gideon attacked us" she said, her gaze still on his back. Her eyes were drawn away from him and to Wyatt when he swivelled around from watching his brother and frowned at her.

"Only a week? How did you know you were pregnant then? Back then pregnancy tests could only work as early as two weeks along" he asked. She raised her eyebrow at him in amusement.

"Did you forget that I can sense life-forces, Oh Great One? I felt it when it happened. It was very small, just a little quiver in the back of my mind, and I didn't even realise what I'd felt until about a month or so later when it had developed enough for me to register what it was." She smiled softly as she recalled the day she had figured it out. "That was a hell of a morning that. Waking up and immediately sensing something… _more_ inside me. I was shocked at first and then scared and then finally elated." She gave a small grin. "And then I was just nauseous. The bathroom became my best friend for the next week or so" she said wryly.

"You're lucky you only had a week of morning sickness. I was sick for five months solid" Paige grumbled and Lindsey looked at her silently before closing her eyes.

"I'd take your five months any day if it meant I still had my child at the end of it" she whispered, her voice full of sorrow and longing.

"Oh sweetie, we know" Phoebe murmured as she got up to sit on the arm of Lindsey's chair and put her arm around her shoulder. Lindsey sighed, rested her head against Phoebe's side and opened her eyes again as Piper stood up and headed towards her youngest son.

"Chris, honey? Are you okay?" she asked him softly as she placed a comforting hand on his upper arm. Chris sighed and turned to look at his mother. Lindsey cringed as she saw the bleakness in his eyes.

"Not really. It's a little hard to take when you find out that you're going to be a father only to realise that you actually aren't, all in the space of ten minutes." He sighed and rubbed his face with his hands. "God, Mom. If Bianca hadn't done what she did, my _child_ would be being born in a few months. And to me, its conception never happened. It's just a little mind-blowing, that's all."

"That's understandable. Why don't we move on with the story okay? Take your mind off it" Piper answered as she rubbed his arm. Chris nodded and looked towards the rest of his family expectantly. But he didn't come sit back down and he didn't look anywhere in Lindsey's direction. She sighed again as she realised that he was deliberately avoiding looking at her. She smiled sadly up at Phoebe as the middle Charmed One gave her a small smile and a bolstering squeeze.

"There won't be much more to the story will there?" Wyatt asked. Paige shook her head.

"Not much. The only part really left is why Lindsey came here" she said and because Lindsey's gaze was focused on Chris again, she saw him go still.

"Well that's obvious. She came here to, ah, be with Chris" Wyatt said with a quick look back at his brother. Lindsey pulled away from Phoebe and gave a slow nod.

"That's true. I did come here to be with him. He promised he wouldn't forget me. That if I did come, he would know who I was." She snorted softly. "Unfortunately that bit didn't come true" she murmured as her eyes flicked to Chris. She looked away again as he grimaced.

"But me coming here on my own wasn't the original plan. Chris and I were meant to go back to the future together." Chris scowled and finally looked at her.

"How was that going to happen? The Higher Powers really don't like mortals messing with the Grand Design and you going to live in the future when you were born in the past would definitely be what they called messing with things" he said. Lindsey dipped her head in agreement.

"That's what we thought. We knew when we got together that Chris would have to leave eventually. That is until the Angel of Destiny told us differently." Chris stared at her in shock while Wyatt's eyebrows rose.

"The Angel of Destiny?" he queried and Lindsey nodded again.

"See it seems that there was a reason Chris hadn't known me when he first arrived from the future was because during his childhood and teenage years, I didn't exist. Literally didn't exist. The last time I had been seen was in 2004 and the next time the Elders became aware of me again was in 2026. This was in my Chris's reality and when the Elders caught up with me and asked me why I was there, apparently I said I came because the Angel of Destiny told me to come. When Chris heard this he immediately asked me to come to the future with him when he returned, since I was apparently meant to be there anyway. And I said yes."

She took a deep breath and raised her hands palm up. "So here I am. I wasn't intending to come when Chris, ah… well I didn't think I should. But he made me promise to. He promised he would never forget me, and when I was positive I was pregnant, I knew I couldn't put it off any longer. He needed to know. So the sisters and I figured out how to get me to where I needed to be. Not everything went to plan when I got here but I don't regret coming."

She looked directly at Chris. "I could never regret coming."

Chris stared back at her silently for a few seconds. "Were you going to tell me? About the baby?" he asked quietly. Lindsey blinked and then sighed and began to contemplate her hands again.

"Honestly, I don't know. I didn't want to ruin the life you had but I also knew that you had a right to know about your son or daughter. The situation was taken out of my control before I'd made that decision" she answered just as quietly. Chris continued to look at her before he glanced away.

"So you came here because you loved someone. Only to find that when you got here, that someone doesn't exist" he said. Lindsey jolted slightly, frowned and sat forward.

"Yes he does Chris. He's you" she said softly and eagerly. Chris's head shot around.

"So, what? I'm to be his substitute? Do I even get a say in this? Or have you made up your mind for both of us?"

As everyone else gasped, Lindsey's mouth fell open and she stared at him in shock. Substitute? What the hell was he talking about?

"Chris!" Piper exclaimed and Chris turned to her with a stubborn look on his face.

"What? She came here with everything all already planned out. And I was just supposed to fall in with it? I don't think so. Don't I get a say? It's my life after all!"

"Of course you get a say Chris! I would never force you into anything you didn't want to do! As if I even could in the first place!" Lindsey cried. Chris swung around to face her and laughed bitterly.

"But you came here to try didn't you? You just told me that you did. Never mind that I was already happy. You, the Elders, hell even the Angel of Destiny decided we were fated to be together. Nowhere in there do I show up! Well it's not going to happen! I'm not going to be ruled by destiny! I live my own life and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me, especially not a desperate, grasping witch who doesn't know when she's not wanted!"

There was stunned silence for a few moments before-

"CHRISTOPHER PERRY HALLIWELL! YOU APOLOGIZE THIS INSTANT!" Piper yelled as everyone else just gawked at him. When Chris hesitated and then just refolded his arms and glared at the floor, she went to yell again. Until Lindsey stopped her.

"It's okay Piper. I get the picture" she said in soft, extremely calm voice as she slowly got to her feet. "This desperate, grasping witch most definitely knows when she isn't wanted. But your wrong Chris" she said in an emotionless voice as she looked at the man who had just broken her heart.

"I wasn't going to force you into anything. Nor was anyone else. I knew the instant I saw that engagement ring on Bianca's finger that I wasn't going to get what I wished for and the two of you breaking up doesn't change that. I was on my way to accepting this when you found that book. I even thought that maybe the two of us might end up being friends. I guess I was wrong. So you can forget about destiny trying to ruin your life anymore, as your destiny no longer involves me. If I even was meant to be involved in it in the first place."

She turned to Piper. "I think I might head home now. I've got to change for work" she said, still very calm and collected. The only thing that betrayed the storm of agony and loss that swirled around inside her was her trembling hands. She clenched them at her sides as Paige walked over to her and put her hand on her arm.

"Do you want a ride?" she asked softly and Lindsey shook her head.

"No, I'm okay, I'll take the Metro. Thanks anyway" she said. Holding her head high, she turned and walked into the foyer, only to stop when Piper called her name.

"Do you want to take some of these then? You know, for old times' sake?" she asked just as softly as her sister had, holding out a couple of the photos of Lindsey and her Chris. Lindsey stared down at them for a moment and her lips trembled. She took a deep breath, straightened her spine, pressed her lips together and lifted her head. She looked into the living room and her eyes slammed straight into Chris's.

"No thank you. These are part of my past. They won't be part of my future" she said firmly as she held his gaze. As she said this, Chris's eyes flashed with something that looked a lot like pain and regret. Refusing to let this give her hope, Lindsey turned away and quietly opened the front door. It was only once she was walking down the street, away from the Manor and from him, that her resolve crumbled and she let the tears fall.


	14. A foot flavoured aftertaste

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Michael and Lindsey

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Chapter Fourteen – A foot flavoured aftertaste.

_Chris's eyes flashed with something that looked a lot like pain and regret. Before she let this give her hope, Lindsey turned away and pulled open the front door. It was only once she was walking down the street, away from the Manor and from him, that her resolve crumbled and she let the tears fall._

To Chris, the soft snick of the front door closing behind Lindsey sounded as loud as an exploding fire cracker. He stared at the solid door after it had closed, his brow furrowed and his mouth pulled downwards. His mind was full with a jumble of different emotions, all of them zooming through his system at once. But at the moment, the two that he was feeling the strongest were shame and remorse.

Why the hell had he said those things to her? No, he knew why. He really didn't like the fact that everyone expected him to just fall into line. He didn't believe in fate. He believed that everyone made their own destiny. And for everyone to expect him to jump for joy in a matter that he basically had no say in… well it wasn't going to happen. Plus there was the whole original him aspect. Just because they were the same DNA wise, doesn't mean that the original timeline Chris and himself had the same personality. They could be considered two different people, only with the same face. So just because Lindsey fell in love with the original him doesn't mean that she would love the him standing in front of her. And he didn't want to step into the role of being an original Chris standby if she did think she had fallen for him.

He sighed. Yes he'd had the right to say what he'd said, but did what he was thinking have to come out the way it had? He knew he'd been unnecessarily harsh. But once he had started, everything he had learnt in the past hour had built until it filled every part of his being and Chris had released it the only way he could. On top of Lindsey.

He sighed again as he turned away from the door. He knew the instant he had finished speaking that he was saying things the wrong way. He also knew that he had hurt her. The instant the words had left his mouth, Lindsey's mask had abruptly slid back into place and it was only then that he'd realised that that was the first time he'd seen it in days. And he really regretted that he was the cause for it coming back. But those issues had needed to be aired and he wasn't going to apologize for airing them.

As he turned back to the living room, he exhaled wearily and rubbed his face with his hands. He was lowering them again when he felt a sharp smack on the back of head.

"Ow! What was that for?" he cried in shock as he jumped and ducked away, rubbing the back of his head to ease the sting. He turned to scowl at the person who had assaulted him, only to freeze, blink and then cringe. His mother and aunts were standing directly in front of him, all with their arms folded and very miffed expressions on their faces. Paige was closest to him so she must have been the one to smack him. He scowled at them grumpily.

"What?" he asked again, even though he knew exactly why they were angry with him. His mother raised her eyebrow in disbelief.

"Just what do you think you were thinking, saying something like that?" she asked him in a deadly quiet voice. Chris swallowed hard. She was using The Voice. He hated The Voice and she only ever used it when he was in serious trouble. He took a deep breath.

"It needed to be said" he muttered as he looked away from the accusing stares.

"Maybe it did, but you didn't need to crush her in the process Chris! She's been nothing but nice to you since she got here and she didn't deserve that. We did not raise you to be cruel to people, no matter what circumstances may have led up to it." She sighed and shook her head. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm very disappointed in you at the moment."

Chris's mouth fell open as his mother bent down and picked up the beaded necklace before leaving the room. She had never said that to him before. He blinked again and his stomach twisted unpleasantly as he turned to his aunts. Phoebe stepped up to him and took his face in her hands, staring directly into his confused and slightly miserable eyes.

"I sympathise with your situation Chris, I really do. It's a lot to take in all at once and any one would have a hard time dealing with it. But it doesn't mean you can take it out on the people who love you. I believe you owe Lindsey an apology" she told him quietly before she stepped back and followed Piper out of the room.

Chris closed his eyes as his aunts words washed over him. His shoulders slumped dejectedly and feeling the weight of another stare, he resigned himself and opened them again to meet the eyes of the youngest Charmed One. Paige shook her head.

"Jeez dude, I can't believe you said that" she said and Chris's mouth twisted. She stared at him for a second before she shook her head again and went to follow her sisters. Only to stop just before she left the room.

"Oh and Chris, the whole substitute thing? You and the original timeline you really aren't that much different. Sure, he was a little more sarcastic and a bit darker then you but apart from that, you two are pretty similar. So if Lindsey loved him, it's pretty much a given that she's going to love you too. In fact I'm fairly sure she already does. Or at least did before you decided to go all Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde on her" she said. She held his gaze for a moment before she shrugged. "Think about it okay?"

When all three Charmed Ones had had their say, Chris swallowed and turned to the only other people in the room, looking at them expectantly.

"Are you going to lecture me as well?" he asked his father and Leo slowly shook his head.

"No. The sisters covered it pretty well. I will say this though. If something or someone is your destiny, there's nothing you can do to avoid it Chris. Just look at your mother and me. We had a lot of ups and downs, heavy on the downs at times, and I tried my best to stay away from her. But I couldn't because we were fated to be together. Something else to think about maybe?"

Once he'd left to follow his wife and sisters-in-law, Chris turned to his brother with an annoyed expression. This was really starting to tick him off. But hopefully Wyatt would be on his side. He was his brother after all and brothers stick together. This thought died as soon as he saw Wyatt's face. He groaned.

"Not you to?" he moaned. Wyatt frowned at him.

"The girl I loved and wanted to marry died because she didn't understand what we do and couldn't protect herself from it, and you just threw away a chance with someone who can not only take care of herself and defeat a demon by raising a hand, but may actually be in love with you as well. Did you really think I would agree with you on this?" Chris's scowled.

"Come on Wyatt! You're my brother! You're meant to stick up for me!" he whined grumpily. Wyatt folded his arms and glared.

"Stop acting like a child Chris. Aunt Phoebe is right. You owe Lindsey an apology. Halliwells don't treat people like that, especially people who travelled twenty two years into the future on the slight chance that the man she loves just might love her back. It takes courage, guts and fortitude to do that and we need as many people with these qualities in our lives as we can get. Now how about you grow some balls and start acting like the Halliwell you were born to be!"

Chris's jaw hit the ground. Wyatt's lecture was almost as bad as their mother's had been. He'd always looked up to his older brother and the thought that maybe he might have let him down was as horrible as knowing he'd disappointed Piper. He folded his lips and glowered as anger began to pulse inside him. Yes he had said the wrong thing, but he didn't deserve to be turned against like this!

"The Halliwell I was born to be?! What Halliwell is that Wyatt? Because going by what you're saying, there's a particular person I'm supposed to be acting like! This folds right in with the whole destiny crap! I am me and no one else! And I'm not ever going to be anyone else! If that doesn't fit in with what the Powers That Be want me to do with my life, well tough shit! It's my life! They can just deal with it, and so the hell can you!"

Without another word, Chris orbed away to the one place he knew he wouldn't be bothered. The one place where there was so much air and space that he might actually able to think and maybe process what he'd learnt. The top of Golden Gate Bridge.

~0~

He'd been there for half an hour, sitting with his legs dangling over the side and staring out at the water, when he was disturbed by the tinkle of orbing. Knowing that it wasn't one of his family members, as they knew that when he came here, he didn't want any company and to leave him alone until he'd worked out whatever was bothering him, he turned around. And scowled at Michael.

"Well you've gotten yourself into a right mess, haven't you Chris?" the Elder with an amused and sympathetic smile. Chris scowled harder and turned back to the view. He looked over in annoyance when Michael sat down beside him.

"What do you want?" he snapped and the Elder shrugged.

"Well at the moment I could really do with a beer but since that's not going to happen…" he said and even sunk deep into his bad mood, Chris's lips still twitched as he had to hold back a grin. Michael was not like other Elders. Yes, he acted the perfect Elder when there was demon activity to report or an assignment to hand out, but at all other times he was very much like Chris. A man in his early twenties, trying to enjoy and live his life as much as possible, no matter what type of life he lived. It was the reason Chris preferred to deal with him the most. He was a lot more relatable then the other, more stuffy Elders.

"I just thought maybe you might want to talk" Michael said and Chris turned to frown at the speck-sized speeding cars below them.

"So you're here to lecture and scold me as well then" Chris muttered. Michael shook his head.

"No I'm not Chris. You had your reasons for saying what you did. But I am here to try and help you work through your 'destiny' issues, so to speak. Lindsey's a really nice girl and you like her a lot already. Why are you so freaked out that maybe one day the two of you could end up together?"

Chris turned to face him. The Elders brown eyes were regarding him steadily and Chris could see absolutely no judgement in them. All he saw reflected in them was concern and friendship and it was just what he needed to bring his defences down.

"It's the liking her part that's the problem!" he burst out. "Christ Michael, I only just broke up with Bianca a few days ago! How can I possible like someone this much, feel this deeply for someone in such a short amount of time?! It's not right! I loved Bianca, or at least I thought I did! It's a betrayal to the happy memories I have of our early relationship to feel as if my day isn't complete until I see a certain violet-eyed witch!"

Michael blinked and then pursed his lips in a 'hhmm' gesture. "You're scared" he murmured and Chris glared at him.

"I'm not a coward!" he snapped. Michael shook his head.

"I'm not saying you are. I'm saying that the way you feel for 'a certain violet-eyed witch' is freaking you out. You're not used to feeling this strongly for someone. I'm guessing you didn't feel anything like this for Bianca, did you?" Chris guiltily shook his head.

"Not even at the beginning of the relationship" he mumbled. Michael nodded his head thoughtfully.

"Okay, so when Lindsey told you her story and you heard how happy the original you and she were, I'm guessing you liked what you heard. You wished that you had that with her. And not only did that scare you, but it made you feel guilty as well because I don't think you ever imagined having that with Bianca. So you lashed out in defence. Am I right?"

Chris gaped at the blond, curly-haired Elder. Where the hell had that come from? He didn't think like that! Did he? Well there was the whole substitute thing…

"Are you saying that I'm… _jealous?_" he asked slowly and Michael laughed.

"Yup. That about sums it up I think" he said with a grin. Chris frowned and thought about it. After a moment, his mouth fell open as his eyes widened in a light-bulb moment. He snorted and turned to look at his friend in exaggerated admiration.

"It seems you've missed your calling Michael" he joked grudgingly and the Elder grinned and flexed his fingers.

"Well I could have been a Cupid you know. Yes-sir-ree, they were practically begging me. But I decided to downgrade and become an Elder instead" he boasted and Chris chuckled. Michael grinned again and slapped him on the back.

"Right, now that that's sorted, time to get down to business" he said as his face suddenly turned serious. Chris raised an eyebrow enquiringly.

"Business?" he asked, surprised at the change of subject but pleased at the same time. He had a lot to think about and he needed to be alone to do it.

"Ah huh. I did have a reason for coming here, other then stopping your sorry ass from swimming in gloom you know. The second witch has been found."

Chris felt his eyes widen again. "Was she alive?" he asked although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. His heart sunk as his suspicions were confirmed when Michael shook his head.

"Her name was Melody Chambers. She was 29 years old, had been married for five years and already had a two year old son. Her and husband were trying for another one. Like Eileen, she comes from a well-known witch line that usually produces magically strong witches. Unlike Eileen, Melody did have an active power, though it wasn't a very strong one, fighting wise. She had a chameleon-like ability to blend into any situation until she was almost invisible."

"Was her womb removed?" Chris asked and Michael nodded sadly. Chris growled in frustration.

"Why are they doing this? It isn't necessary to mutilate them like this!" he said as he scowled. Michael nodded again.

"You need to find that out. Maybe it is necessary. We don't know. But don't forget, you still need to watch over Lindsey at the same time" he said and then held up his hand as Chris frowned and went to argue.

"No I'm not giving her to someone else Chris. You are her Whitelighter and you will take care of your charge. That's what Whitelighters do" he said firmly. Chris sighed.

"She won't like it. At all. Hell, she doesn't even like me at the moment" he muttered and Michael gave him an unsympathetic look.

"So apologize to her then. You now know the reasons why you acted the way you did, but it still doesn't mean you can get away with treating her like a piece of dirt" he said.

Chris grimaced and nodded as the Elder got to his feet. He knew he had to say sorry to Lindsey. He just really wasn't looking forward to doing it. He groaned silently. God he hated apologizing! He turned to Michael as the Elder began to orb away, only to stop.

"Oh, and one last thing. If you and Lindsey do end up together, it won't be because of destiny Chris. It'll be because the two of you chose each other. You have a choice in this and so does she. So get your head out of your ass and go grovel before she decides to give up on you completely" he said with a cheeky grin. Chris's mouth twisted.

"I'm not grovelling" he muttered and Michael laughed.

"I have a funny feeling that you're going to end up eating those words" he said before he orbed away, leaving a confused, annoyed and once again, somewhat resigned witchlighter behind him.

~0~

After a long evening of getting up to head to Triquetra, then changing his mind and sitting back down again, Chris decided to go to bed. He would seek out Lindsey tomorrow. Give her some time to calm down. As he closed his eyes, he thought that he daren't procrastinate too long. He really didn't want her to fulfil her promise of not having him in her future. He comforted himself with the thought that he was still her Whitelighter. This way if she didn't forgive him, he would at least still get to see her every day. _Thank you Michael_ he thought drowsily as he drifted off to sleep.

~0~

"_**You Are. The Worlds. Biggest. MORON!"**_

_**Chris's eyes flew open as his body tumbled through the air to land in a pile ten feet away from where he started. He raised his head slightly and shook it, only just having enough time to realise what was going on before he was flying again. He landed with an 'oomph' and winced as his bones protested at the way he was being treated.**_

"_**IMBECILE! IDIOT! DOUCHBAG! YOU COMPLETE AND UTTER ASSWIPE! GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T BLOW YOU BACK TO THE COLONIAL ERA FOR THIS!"**_

_**Chris held up his hands and slowly got to his feet to face a very pissed off version of himself. The clones' mouth was pulled into an angry line and his green eyes were spitting. Chris could almost feel the fury pumping off him. His hand was still raised and he glared at Chris, but he didn't TK him again. Instead he seemed to be waiting for an answer. Both Chris and his body were very relieved.**_

"_**HOW COULD YOU SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?! YOU MADE HER CRY CHRIS AND THAT'S SOMETHING I JUST WON'T STAND FOR-"**_

"_**I know I did and I'm truly sorry for it" Chris answered quietly, stopping the clone in his tracks and taking the wind out of his sails.**_

"_**I didn't set out to hurt her. It just ended up that way. And I'm going to apologize for it" he assured the clone earnestly. The other him frowned.**_

"_**You better! I hurt Lindsey enough when I first met her and I swore that I would never let it happen again" he said. He then folded his arms and shook his head in frustration.**_

"_**What I don't understand is why you said what you did in the first place?! I can understand the whole not wanting to be ruled by destiny thing but you already like Lindsey quite a bit. Why did you freak out so much over the thought that you two are fated?" Chris sighed and ran his hand through his hair.**_

"_**It's not just only the fated thing. Everything I'd learnt just swelled up and overwhelmed me and I took it out on her." He sighed. "Plus then there's you" he admitted reluctantly. The clone frowned in confusion.**_

"_**Me? What do I have to do with it?" he asked and Chris laughed bitterly.**_

"_**Oh, how about everything? She loved you first. How am I ever going to know if I measure up?"**_

_**The clone stared at him, shocked. Then he began to laugh. Chris frowned at him and folded his arms as well as the other Chris's laughter filled the empty white space they were standing in.**_

"_**I really don't think it's all that funny" he muttered, causing the other him to laugh harder before he calmed himself. **_

"_**I'm sorry. It's just the fact that you're envious of yourself! I never thought I'd be involved in a situation where the green-eyed monster came into play between two of the same person! Hey! Green-eyed! Ha!" the clone said as he started laughing again. **_

_**Chris's continued to frown until the twins words got through to him and his lips twitched. He was jealous of himself? How crazy was that! Some of his resentment faded and he grinned wryly at the other Chris who flashed him a smile back.**_

"_**There we go. See you've got nothing to worry about. We are slightly different but not much. And I think Lindsey actually likes those differences. My flaws or 'quirks' as she called them, drove her round the bend at times" he said. He then nodded to himself.**_

"_**Okay, now that I know the reason why you treated her the way you did, I think I better let you get some proper sleep. You're going to need all the energy you can get if you're going to do some crawling tomorrow."**_

_**Chris frowned in annoyance. "Not you too. I won't need to grovel or crawl. Lindsey is a sensible enough person that she'll accept my apology as soon as I give it" he said and the clone raised an eyebrow in amusement.**_

"_**Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. Okay, time to wake up-" Chris held up his hands, stopping him.**_

"_**Hold on. How come you were able to TK me? My powers don't work here, so why do yours?" he asked curiously. The other him smirked.**_

"_**I created this place Chris. I can do whatever I want here. Including making it so that I have the advantage. Now-" Chris held up his hands again and the clone scowled.**_

"_**What is it? Man you ask a lot of questions! I wasn't this annoying was I?" he muttered which Chris dignifyingly chose to ignore.**_

"_**I'm really sorry about what happened to you" he said softly. The clone smiled.**_

"_**See? There's a difference Lindsey would like. I'm no way near that kind. But never mind dude. I knew that something like this might end up happening when I went back. So I'm good. And as long as Lindsey's happy then so am I. Now do me a favour and go make her happy okay? Right Chris. Time to WAKE UP!" **_

Which he did, with a frown on his face and determination in his heart. First thing in the morning he was going to set things right.


	15. A belly full of frustration

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

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Chapter Fifteen – A belly full of frustration

_Which he did, with a frown on his face and determination in his heart. First thing in the morning he was going to set things right._

Lindsey woke with a start as an echo of… _something_ ran through her mind. She blinked in confusion as she tried to figure out what it was and why she was so suddenly awake at – she glanced at the clock – 3am. She frowned as what she thought was a sound brought up a few hazy images. What was that? A dream? Yes, that was it. She'd woken because of a dream. And it was a weird one because for some reason there seemed to be two Chris's in it. And one was attacking the other. She shook her head in amusement. Lord her brain could come up with some bizarre things at times.

She turned over and closed her eyes, trying her best to go back to sleep. But after about half an hour or so she gave up. She should have known better anyway. Once Lindsey was awake, then she was awake for the rest of the night. It was a very annoying habit that had started just after her father had been killed. She'd have a nightmare, wake up and then be too afraid to go back to sleep. The nightmares had eventually stopped but unfortunately the habit she had created hadn't and it meant that she'd spend a lot of time wandering around the Manor at night. Chris used to tease her about it all the time, but there had always been an undercurrent of worry and concern in his teasing. He really hadn't liked the fact that some nights she would only get a couple of hours sleep. One night, when she had woken him up by getting out of bed, he had insisted she try to go back to sleep. She had protested, knowing it wouldn't work, but he had ignored her and pulled her into his arms. And the next thing she had known, it was 8.30am and she had felt better and more rested then she had in quite a long time.

The next time it had happened, she'd tried to go back to sleep by herself, only to find herself still lying awake two hours later. She'd once again disturbed Chris as she was getting out of bed and he had grumbled and pulled her into his arms again. And she'd slept. After that they'd figured that she could only go back to sleep when he was holding her. So he simply hadn't let her out of his arms at night.

Lindsey sighed as she got out of bed. Chris wasn't around anymore to help her sleep. He wasn't around anymore period. She had thought… had hoped… but no. He'd made it quite clear that he didn't want anything to do with her romantically, or even unromantically. He was still her Whitelighter and they would still have to see each other because of that, but that was the only relationship they'd have.

As she went into the kitchen to make herself a hot chocolate, she swallowed hard to hold back her tears. She wasn't going to cry anymore. She'd wasted enough of her tears on him. She'd somehow made it through the evening before at Triquetra, the whole time praying he wouldn't show his face. Thankfully he hadn't, but the effort it had taken to hold herself together had taken its toll. She'd crumbled the minute she'd walked through her door. And since all three of her flatmates were home and still up, there had been no way to hide it from them.

She smiled softly as she remembered the cousins' reactions to what Chris had said to her. Tammy had been shocked that Chris would ever say something like that, and then had been steadily supportive to Lindsey, sitting her down, making her a cup of tea and constantly rubbing her arm in comfort. She'd reminded Lindsey a lot of both Piper and Phoebe. PJ had been pissed, but she'd kept the emotion to herself, silently stewing, completely the opposite to Melinda. Mel had paced the length of the living room over and over again as she'd ranted and raved at her absent older brother. They had all sat and listened to her, getting steadily more amused as the revenge ideas she had come up with had gotten more and more outrageous until Lindsey had finally ended up laughing. Mel had grinned at her when she had and it was then that Lindsey realised that that was what she was looking for. Some of her last ideas hadn't been serious; she'd just wanted to cheer her up somewhat. At least Lindsey didn't think they had been. She really could imagine cursing Chris so that his tongue swelled to ten times its normal size and slapped him in the face every time he tried to speak.

She left the kitchen and went to sit down on the couch, flicking on the TV quietly. There probably wasn't anything on but it was better than sitting in the dark, lost in depressing thoughts. She'd just bought her cup up to her mouth when the room glowed blue and she jumped, spilling chocolate down her pyjama top as Wyatt appeared out of nowhere. He cringed slightly when he saw the large stain and Lindsey's miffed expression.

"Hhmm. Ah, sorry about that" he said sheepishly and Lindsey huffed out a breath.

"It's fine. I didn't really like this top anyway" she said as she went into her room to change, leaving to door open so she could still hear the Twice Blessed.

"What are you doing here anyway? It's the middle of the night" she called out to him softly. Everyone else was still in dreamland and she didn't want to wake them. She came back out in time to see Wyatt run a hand through his hair.

"I sensed you were awake and since it is the middle of the night I, ah, well… I guess I just wanted to see if you were okay" he said in a rush and Lindsey smiled.

"Wyatt Matthew Halliwell, you don't have a crush on me do you?" she asked innocently and Wyatt's eyes widened comically.

"What?! No! Of course I don't! You're like a sister to me! I would never-" he broke off when Lindsey started chuckling.

"You're teasing me" he said, relief heavy in his voice. Lindsey grinned and nodded.

"Isn't that what sister's do?" she asked on a laugh. Wyatt grinned back.

"I guess they do" he said as he too began to chuckle as they both sat down.

"So you can sense me?" Lindsey asked him curiously as she reached over to pick up her cup and take a swallow of her drastically reduced chocolate. Wyatt nodded.

"I can sense anyone in the family and since I've been able to sense you from the moment you got here, I guess that makes you part of the family" he said.

"That probably has something to do with me being around and bonding with you when you were a baby" Lindsey said and Wyatt laughed.

"It still sounds really weird when you say that" he said as he shook his head. Lindsey grinned and chucked his chin.

"Aww, is my wittle boy having trouble with the fact that Windsey used to bath, change, bottle and spoon feed him?" she cooed in a babyish voice. Wyatt laughed again and scowled at her playfully.

"Shut up. Damn little sisters. So annoying" he muttered in faux irritation. Lindsey smiled at him.

"It's nice to think I have a big brother" she said softly and Wyatt smiled back at her.

"So, back to the original subject, you're almost like my Whitelighter as well then. Since you can sense me" Lindsey said as she finished her drink and put the cup back down. She frowned in confusion when Wyatt shook his head.

"No, I'm not. The bond a Whitelighter has with his charge is a lot stronger than the familial bond I have with you. I can sense your feelings but that's about it. Most of the time I won't even know that you're in danger unless you call for me. Chris can sense every little thing about you. He knows where you are at all times, senses every change in your mood and will know if you even get a paper cut. It's the reason why most witches don't like having a Whitelighter and why most of the time they never know in the first place. The bond can be rather invasive at times." He suddenly looked slightly uncomfortable. "Chris would have known he'd hurt you. He'd have, ah… well he would've felt it" he said quietly.

Lindsey swallowed and looked away, only to glance back when she felt a comforting hand on her knee.

"Are you okay?" Wyatt asked her softly and Lindsey looked at him silently for a moment before she slowly shook her head. A single tear ran down her cheek and she looked down. Wyatt frowned.

"Chris should not have said what he said to you" he muttered angrily. Lindsey shook her head once more.

"He had every right to say it" she whispered and she looked up when Wyatt growled softly.

"He did Wyatt. The situation involved him and he had the right to give his opinion. And apparently his opinion was that everyone was trying to get him to do something he didn't want to do and he didn't feel like he was getting much of a choice in the matter."

"But he was!" Wyatt burst out. "No one was conspiring against him and there's no way in hell we could ever make him do something he didn't want to do! And the fact that he didn't want to do it is bullshit!"

Lindsey cringed slightly as Wyatt's voice echoed loudly through the room. She glared at him in annoyance.

"Would you keep it down?! Just because we're awake doesn't mean everyone else has to be!" he hissed quietly and Wyatt's eye's flicked to the closed doors before he looked back at her guiltily.

"Sorry" he mumbled and then looked at her intently.

"You do realise that don't you? That when he said he didn't want you, he wasn't telling the truth?" Lindsey looked away again.

"Didn't sound like he was lying to me" she muttered and Wyatt huffed in frustration.

"He was Lindsey. Chris likes you. A hell of a lot. I would even go as far as saying he was on his way to falling in love with you" he said and Lindsey's head shot up. "He's just scared. I don't think he's ever felt this way before. Not even with Bianca and he was pretty infatuated with her in the beginning. Though I think that was just the whole older woman thing" Wyatt mused thoughtfully before turning to look at her again.

"Love can be pretty scary at times and I think his feelings for you freaked him out a bit" he said. Lindsey blinked and looked at him curiously.

"You sound like you know what you're talking about" she said in a soft voice. Wyatt sighed and nodded.

"I guess you could say that I was once in a similar situation to you. Loving someone and then losing them. I didn't have the chance to get them back though, like you do" he said sadly.

Lindsey frowned. "What happened?" she asked.

"She died" Wyatt stated softly and Lindsey gasped. "Her name was Lydia Hawthorn. I met her when I was six and she was four. Mom made Chris and I go to a sort of daycamp type thing so that we would meet other children and hopefully make some normal friends. I met Lydia and we immediately struck up a close friendship. We remained best friends all through childhood and the only thing she didn't know about me was that I was a witch. Lydia's feelings for me changed when she was around eleven and my feelings for her deepened when she was thirteen."

He smiled wistfully. "I kissed her for the first time on her fourteenth birthday. I still don't know why I suddenly decided to do it after liking her for so long. She was just so pretty in her buttercup coloured dress that I just plucked up the courage and kissed her out of the blue. I thought I'd offended her at first, but once she'd gotten over her shock, she'd chased me, pulled me to a stop and planted one on me."

"She had to chase you?" Lindsey asked with a soft smile. Wyatt chuckled quietly and nodded.

"Yeah. I freaked out when she just stood there after I kissed her. I took off, calling myself all sorts of nasty names under my breath and would have kept going if she hadn't followed me. She grabbed my arm and tugged me round, took my face in her hands, kissed me firmly and then asked what the bloody hell had taken me so long." He smiled again. "I fell in love with her in that instant and we were together for just over a year. It would have been longer – hell I was planning on it being the rest of our lives – but a group of warlocks decided to capture, torture and then kill her first, to get to me."

Lindsey gasped again and reached out and grabbed the witchlighter's hand.

"Oh Wyatt, I'm so sorry" she whispered sympathetically and Wyatt smiled sadly.

"Thanks. I'd told her what I was just after we got together, as I hadn't wanted to lie to her anymore, but I kept her away from most of it so she didn't really understand how dangerous my life could be. So when they came up to her and said they were friends of mine and would take her to me, she innocently believed them. I found her in the Underworld two days later but by then it was too late. She was already dead." He sighed. "They'd thought that if they took something I loved and destroyed it, it would cause me to act irrationally and they could use that against me." He snorted and shook his head ruefully.

"Oh I acted irrationally all right. What you did to Bianca in the hallway? That was nothing compared to my anger and grief. The Underworld shook with my rage as I attacked everything in sight. It took them almost a year to recover from the destruction. Mom and the Aunts eventually had to bind me because they were afraid I would hurt myself. Once I got my powers back, I then freaked everyone out by disappearing for two weeks."

"You disappeared?" Lindsey asked incredulously. "Where'd you go?"

Wyatt sighed again. "Everywhere really. Spend a couple of days in the Himalayas. Stood on top of Mount Everest. Visited the Great Wall of China and went to Tibet. Spent another couple of days in the islands off the coast of Greece. Went to the Outback in Australia and then crossed the ditch over to a beautiful little country called New Zealand. It was there that I was able make another peace with myself that my families worry and fear for me finally got through. I knew then that it was time to go home. So I did."

Wyatt took a deep breath and gave Lindsey a sad smile. "So you can see how I can understand a little bit of what you're going through. I lost the person I loved with everything I had, just like you did. You've got a chance to get that back though. I never will."

Lindsey's eye's widened at Wyatt's words. She frowned and squeezed the hand she was still holding, shaking it slightly in desperation.

"Yes you _will._ You'll fall in love again Wyatt. I guarantee it!" she said. Her frown deepened when Wyatt shook his head.

"No, I don't think so. Lydia was it for me" he said quietly. "But that doesn't mean that you can't get what you want. After you make Chris suffer for a bit though. It'll serve him right for lashing out at you like that."

Lindsey sighed silently and shook her head. You couldn't make someone suffer if they didn't have strong feeling for you in the first place. Which Chris didn't. He'd drilled that into her head quite efficiently. But she knew that if she told Wyatt that, he wouldn't believe her. For some reason he thought the way Chris had acted was just a cover up for his true feelings. Lindsey knew better.

"Well I better go and try to get some sleep. Got demons and witches to hunt for tomorrow" Wyatt said. "Oh, here, I almost forgot" he said as he stood up and pulled something out of his pocket. "Mom said that you got this for your Chris as a gift. She thought maybe you might like it back."

Lindsey stared at the beaded necklace in Wyatt's hand. She had bought it for her Chris. She'd seen it in the window of a tiny handmade jewellery shop and immediately thought of him. He'd been embarrassed when she'd given it to him, but he'd accepted and worn it constantly. The only reason he hadn't been wearing it the day he died was because it had broken and Paige had been fixing it for him. Seeing it brought back a lot of happy and painful memories, just as seeing Chris did. She reached out and took it, her fingers trembling slightly.

"Thank you" she whispered as she rubbed her thumb over the disk at the necklace's point. Wyatt smiled and stepped back to orb, only to stop again.

"Oh, there was one other thing sorry. One of the teachers at Magic School is retiring and Dad and I were wondering if you might be interested in the position?"

Lindsey blinked. "Umm… what?" she asked stupidly. Wyatt chuckled.

"Well you seemed really interested in teaching a month or so ago. And the position's perfect for you. If you accept, you'll be teaching classes in magical control and apart from the sisters, you've got the best control over your magic of anyone I've ever seen, including me" he explained. "Just think about it okay? You don't need to make the decision today. Harrold's still got a couple of weeks to go yet. Think about it and get back to me when you're ready."

And with that statement, he left and Lindsey sat for a long time, staring blankly at the TV as she tried to imagine herself as a teacher. Funnily enough, it wasn't that hard to do.

~0~

The next day was a saturday. Chris knew that it was Lindsey's night off so he orbed to her apartment as soon as he'd had breakfast. He still wasn't speaking to his family, especially his brother. Them not being on his side when he'd expected them to be had surprisingly hurt quite a bit and he wasn't ready to deal with them yet. Lindsey was another matter. He found that he had a quite urgent need to tell her he was sorry. He kept seeing the way her mask had appeared out of nowhere because of what he'd said and the image was haunting him. So he orbed to her as soon as he could to try and resolve the matter.

He appeared in the living room and was about to knock on her bedroom door when the kitchen door opened and his sister and cousins came into the room. All three of them stood in front of him with their arms folded. Chris sighed as he was reminded violently of the sisters the night before.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Melinda asked and Chris winced. Jesus. She sounded so much like their mother when she used that tone. It was scary.

"I need to talk to her" he said quietly and all three girls stared at him before Tammy grimaced and shook her head.

"Not at the moment Chris. She's very vulnerable right now. You really hurt her" she said. Chris closed his eyes.

"I know" he whispered. He opened his eyes and met all three gazes. "That's why I need to talk to her. I _need_ to apologize" he said. The girls stared back at him before exchanging a glance. They then seemed to make a decision.

"So apologize tonight" Melinda said. "We'll all be a P3 tonight to celebrate Lindsey's birthday properly and you can approach her then."

"But…" Chris said in a voice ripe with frustration. PJ frowned at him.

"No, Chris. Not now. She needs time. You can see her tonight okay?" she said as she took his arm and drew him away from the door. He glared at them as they formed a line in front of it. He hissed out a breath.

"I _will_ speak to her tonight" he stated firmly and the girls nodded. He frowned once again at the protective mother bears and orbed away, not noticing the door closing the tiny half inch it had been open while he was there.

~0~

Chris worked behind the bar; steadily serving drinks as he kept a constant eye out for the one person he wanted to see. It was still quite early but he didn't expect them to be here late. Not if they wanted to be let into the club at all. Both Mel and Tammy were underage so technically they shouldn't be able to step foot in the place. But they were family and the staff knew that. None of the younger cousins were allowed in when the club was open and the staff knew that if they served Tammy or Mel alcohol, not only would they get their asses kicked, they'd be fired on the spot.

He had just turned away from the stairs to serve when he felt a tingle on the back of his neck. He spun around to watch Wyatt, PJ, Mel and Tammy make their way over to a table. He frowned. Where was…? His eyes met Amethyst and he felt his body visibly relax. There she was. He frowned again as he stared into those amazing eyes, trying to see past the mask that was very firmly in place. She held his gaze for a moment before she turned away to go meet the others. He watched her the entire way and growled in frustration. It was then that he registered what she was wearing.

Chris swallowed. Hard. Lindsey looked… unbelievably sexy. She was wearing a short – very short – flirty black skirt that swished around her thighs as she walked, skyhigh stiletto heels and a backless silver halter top. His eyes were glued to the large amount of skin on display and he swallowed again as he imagined running his finger down her spine, the skin soft and glowing, begging to be touched. As he stared, he registered something else and his eyes narrowed. Was that… a tattoo? His eyes glazed and his body temperature skyrocketed as his gaze followed the tattoo, one end going round up onto her stomach and the other end going… He gasped and abruptly pulled his eyes away as he realised exactly where the other end went. He turned away to serve another drink, trying to keep his body's reaction under control. Who knew that a tattoo could be so damn hot? He'd never reacted to one like this before, and he'd seen quite a few.

By the time he'd calmed himself down and turned back to the table, Lindsey wasn't there anymore. He frowned before he found her on the dance floor and he smiled when he saw her dancing with his brother. She looked like she was having a lot of fun, as did Wyatt. He smiled even more as he saw this. Good. Wyatt needed to have some fun, even if it was only with a friend.

The smile abruptly left his face when he saw someone tap Wyatt on the shoulder. What the hell? No one else was dancing with her! He turned and right in the middle of serving a customer, he left the bar and made his way out onto the dance floor. His annoyed expression turned into livid snarl when he saw exactly who was trying to dance with her. Antonio?! Oh hell no! That was definitely _not_ going to happen!

* * *

**Happy Easter Everyone!**


	16. Mine

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Antonio and Lindsey

**Quick A/N - Sorry guys, shortish chapter again, but fingers crossed that the ending more than makes up for it! Okay, here we go. Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Sixteen – Mine

_His annoyed expression turned into livid snarl when he saw exactly who was trying to dance with her. Antonio?! Oh hell no! That was definitely __**not**__ going to happen! _

Lindsey shrieked with laughter as, once again, Wyatt spun her round in an exaggerated circle. She was actually having a really good time. It would have been better if she could completely ignore that gaze boring into her back, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Chris's eyes had been on her from the second she had stepped into the club and she didn't think they had left her since. She knew that he wanted to talk to her and that he wanted to apologize, which she was happy about, but she had decided that she wasn't going to make it easy for him. She wasn't a puppy who would roll over and show her belly as soon as he asked her to. He had hurt her and he had some suffering of his own to experience before she decided whether she would except his apology or not. She grinned at Wyatt as they both moved their bodies to the pulsing beat, PJ and Tammy dancing not far away from them.

"Who knew Wyatt Halliwell was such a good dancer?" she laughed up at him. He grinned back down at her and she had the stray thought that she was really glad the Halliwells grew their men tall. Many men were shorter than her which not only did she find annoying, but said men also usually found it off-putting and intimidating and they took it out on her. She couldn't be bothered with people who had to make others feel small to make themselves feel big. She'd had enough of that in high school.

"Oh, I don't know, how about almost every woman in this club" Wyatt answered her cheekily. "I actually quite like to dance and I like having a large variety of partners-" he stopped and raised an eyebrow in amusement when Lindsey grinned widely at him.

"Not like that, you dirty-minded witch! I meant that different woman dance different ways and I enjoy experiencing all the different types of movement" he said with a playful scowl. Then he groaned as Lindsey out right laughed at his second unintentional innuendo of the night.

"I know what you mean, don't worry" Lindsey said with a chuckle. "But why not like that Wyatt? Dancing with a lot of different women means you meet a lot of different women and one of those women could maybe make you happy. You don't have to fall in love with them" she hurriedly assured him as he frowned. "You could just go out and have a good time with an interesting partner. No pressure, just a good time."

"I'm having a good time with you now" Wyatt said as Mel and her dance partner streamed passed them. Lindsey frowned and huffed in annoyance.

"Yes, just as I'm having one with you, but this isn't the type of good time I was talking about. We're not romantically interested in each other so this doesn't really count. You need to open yourself up a little Wyatt. You never know what you might find" she said earnestly.

Wyatt frowned again and opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly stopped dancing and turned to look over his shoulder. Lindsey eyed him curiously but she couldn't see who or what he was looking at until he stepped aside, and when he did, her eyes widened and her pulse jumped in surprise. Antonio? What was he doing here? She frowned as Antonio said something to Wyatt, something she couldn't hear over the pumping music. Her eyes widened even further, in horror this time, as Wyatt nodded and stepped away from her with a rueful smile and she realised what Antonio had said. He'd asked to cut in! Before she knew it, Wyatt was making his way through the crowd, back to the table, his back turned to her so he couldn't see her frantic hand movements, leaving Lindsey alone with a guy she _really_ didn't want to dance with. But it looked like she may not have a choice.

~0~

"Hello Querida" Antonio all but purred as he stepped up to her, far too close for her liking. She grimaced to herself at his term of endearment. Normally she wouldn't mind be called 'darling' in Spanish, in fact she might have quite liked it, but coming from Antonio it just sounded oily.

"Ah… hi. Umm, I'm, actually quite tired Antonio sorry, I might just sit this one out if you don't mind…" she said hurriedly as she tried to step away from him. But Antonio wasn't having any of it. He grabbed her waist and hauled her to him until the fronts were almost mashed together. Lindsey cringed as she felt far too much of the man then she would have liked.

"Come now Querida, you were having fun with the other male, no? Time to have even more fun with Antonio" he said as his hands dug into her hips. Lindsey tried to pull away from him but his grip was strong. She groaned silently as at that moment, the DJ decided to make a very bad decision and change to a slow song. Antonio smiled seductively, though it looked more like a predator eyeing its prey to Lindsey, and pulled her even closer, his hip swivelling to the music and almost grinding into hers. Lindsey's only thought was _ewww_.

"This really isn't my type of song" she said, trying to be delicate as she once again tried to pull away from him. "I'm sorry Antonio, but I really just want to go and sit down." Antonio's smile spread into a sordid smirk and he leaned up to murmur in her ear.

"There is no need to be afraid, Mi Amor. Antonio will take care of you" he whispered. Lindsey shuddered in revulsion at being called 'my love' by such a distasteful man and her nose screwed up as his breath blew softly over her skin. His breath stunk of alcohol and cigarette smoke. Unfortunately Antonio took her shudder as one of desire and his smirk grew. His grip on her hips tightened until it was almost painful and his hips swivelled again, making very deliberate contact with her own. He leaned up again.

"Antonio knew such a bountiful beauty couldn't resist his charm" he murmured in satisfaction before going up onto his toes and whispering something so vulgar and disgusting in her ear that Lindsey's mouth fell open in shock. Antonio took her silence as encouragement and as he sank back down onto his heals, his teeth caught her earlobe and he bit down on it none to gently before his tongue came out to supposedly sooth the hurt. Lindsey gasped and jolted when she felt him do this and she jerked herself away from him, her hand coming up to slap his arrogant face. How dare he! But before she able to, Antonio was grabbed violently by the collar, spun around and dragged back up onto his toes as Chris glared viciously at him, something that looked a lot like murder in his eyes.

"You disgusting, pathetic excuse for a human being. One wasn't enough, now you go after her as well? Well you can get that sick little thought out of your head because it's _never _going to happen! She is mine and if I ever see you go anywhere near her ever again, I will rip you limb from limb. Do you understand me?"

Chris's soft, dangerous hiss was heard by no one but Antonio and Lindsey, but the violence that was pumping off him spread across the dance floor, attracting a lot of attention. A crowd formed around them as Lindsey, who had jolted when Chris called her his, stood in shocked silence and Chris gave the man he was holding off the ground a rough shake.

"Do I make myself clear _Antonio?_" he said, spitting out the last word. When all Antonio did was tremble, he went to shake him again, only to stop and glance over his shoulder at his brother in annoyance as Wyatt put a restraining hand on his arm.

"Put him down Chris" he said as he frowned at the angry young witchlighter. "What are you thinking? You're the manager here. You shouldn't be causing a scene, you know that." Chris scowled.

"This dickhead is the person Bianca cheated on me with and now he's going after Lindsey as well. I think I have a right to react the way I want" he growled. Behind Wyatt, the three younger Halliwells, who had stopped dancing as soon as they saw Lindsey in distress, all gasped. Wyatt blinked in shock before he too glared at the spanish man before turning back to his brother.

"Okay so maybe you do have that right but if you do what you want to do, it'll bring some pretty bad press down on the club. Mom trusted you when she passed the management of P3 and Triquetra on to you. Doing this will let her down. I don't think you want to do that, do you?" Wyatt asked him softly.

For a long moment, Lindsey wasn't sure is Wyatt's words had gotten through. Chris continued to glare at Antonio before some of his anger gave way to dissatisfaction and he very slowly lowered him back onto his feet.

"Get out of here and don't come back. You are banned from both P3 and Triquetra" he told the skinny, scared little man in a hard voice. Antonio gulped and looked like he was about to say something, but the combined glowers of Lindsey and the five Halliwells put him off. He straightened his black, knock-off silk shirt and turned away with a sniff. Just before he left the dance floor, he seemed to regain his confidence because he stopped and turned around to face them again, smirk firmly in place.

"You know, Antonio doesn't blame you for going after that one" he said with a nod at Lindsey, who stiffened. "There is _a_ _lot_ to love there, no? Antonio would enjoy spreading that out and… _burying_ himself in sin" he purred, raking his gaze lustfully over Lindsey.

Chris roared. It was the only way Lindsey could think to describe it as he lunged toward Antonio, his face twisted with rage. Wyatt grabbed his brother's arm and yanked him back as Antonio squeaked in fright and took off, disappearing quickly through the crowd.

"Let me go! Stupid, offensive prick! I'll kill him!" Chris snarled as he tugged against his brothers' hold.

"He's gone Chris. There's nothing you can do now. You need to calm down" Wyatt panted as he struggled to hold the very angry witchlighter. Seeing that Wyatt's words weren't having any affect, Lindsey did the only thing she could think of. She stepped up to Chris and took his face in her hands. He stilled slightly under her touch, trembles of anger still running through his body.

"Chris that's enough. You're just giving everyone more to gossip about. Please calm down. It's over now" she said softly as she stared into his eyes. Doing this had always worked when her Chris had been worked up with anger or frustration – which had been often, especially when the sisters hadn't known who he really was. She didn't have a clue if it was going to work this time but she had to try. Fortunately it seemed to, as the tension in Chris's body slowly drained and the rage faded from his eyes, leaving them hard.

"I'm fine now Wyatt, you can let me go" he said, his eyes still locked on Lindsey's. Wyatt hesitated for a second before he very carefully let Chris go and stepped back. Chris glanced at him calmly.

"Can you go tell the bar staff that I'm running out to do an errand and I don't know when I'll be back?" he asked him. Wyatt stared at him for a moment and a silent conversation seemed to pass between the brothers before Wyatt slowly nodded, gestured to his sister and cousins to follow him, smiled softly at Lindsey and left, the others trailing behind him. Just before they left their sight, Melinda stopped briefly, turning and giving Lindsey a thumbs up before she zoomed back round and hurried to catch up with the others. Lindsey frowned and looked at Chris.

"Where are they going? Where are _you_ going?" she asked him, confused. Chris stared at her.

"We need to talk" he said shortly and before Lindsey could react, he took her arm, pulled her off the dance floor and rushed her into the back room. The noise cut down by half as he shut and locked the door and Lindsey swallowed as Chris turned around to look at her, his expression almost a glare. The tension built until she almost couldn't stand it anymore and then suddenly, Chris exploded.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, dressing like that and flaunting yourself?! Do you want men to attack you?!" he shouted angrily and Lindsey's jaw hit the ground.

~0~

Chris regretted his words as soon as he said them, but there was no way he could take them back. He had a very bad habit of saying exactly what he was thinking and that habit had just kicked in. But he was right. Antonio hadn't been the only male who had wanted Lindsey that night. The instant she had entered the club, a number of men – and even some women – had looked at her and continued to look, appreciation and heat very much present in every gaze that fell upon her.

And Chris had hated it. Lindsey was his and he didn't anyone else looking at her. He jerked slightly and frowned to himself as that word ran through his mind. Whoa, hold on – his? Since when was Lindsey his? He had no idea when this possessive thinking had started; he just knew that what he was thinking was right. Lindsey was _his_.

His sudden realisations were bought to an abrupt halt as a sort of strangled sound echoed through the room. Chris almost laughed as he looked at Lindsey and understood that it had come from her. Almost. He was wise enough not to when he saw her expression. She was _very_ pissed off and that anger was aimed at him.

"Flaunting… attacked… what the hell…" she spluttered and Chris had to stop himself from laughing again. Something must have showed in his eyes though because Lindsey's own eyes narrowed in threat and she advanced on him until she was right up in his face.

"Christopher Perry Halliwell, you have no right to say something like that to me. We are not together, nor are we even friends. You are my Whitelighter and that is the extent of our relationship. Which means that I can wear whatever the hell I want and you can't say a single thing about it!" she hissed softly, her voice dripping with menace. Chris blinked and sucked in a shaky breath as her words seemed to take on sharp edges and lodge themselves in his heart. His blood began heated with anger again, a result of the pain swimming through him.

"You may be able to wear whatever the hell you want but if you continue going around looking like a hooker, then you should expect stuff like what happened out on the dance floor to happen all the time!" he snapped at her. Lindsey gasped in outrage.

"A hooker?! I do not look like a hooker!" she shrieked angrily. "I'm not wearing anything different from what most of the women out there were wearing tonight Chris! I can't believe you're saying these things! What's wrong with you?!" Chris growled.

"Nothing's wrong with me! I just don't like someone I care about getting mauled because of the way she's dressed!" he shouted. "Antonio all but raped you out there and that could have been prevented if you weren't showing so much skin!" Lindsey went still.

"Are you saying that what that creep did was _my_ fault?" she whispered roughly and Chris snarled.

"No! Of course it wasn't your bloody fault! Antonio is exactly that, a creep, and he would have performed that slimy routine on anyone!"

"So now you're saying that there isn't anything special about me!" Lindsey snarled back as she stared up into his angry eyes. Chris groaned loudly in frustration and reached up to tug at his hair.

"No, I'm not saying that! Stop twisting my words! And of course there's something special about you! Everything about you is special! All I'm saying is that if you continue to dress sexy as all get out, you've got to expect men to come on to you!" Lindsey scowled and raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe I want men to come on to me!" she snapped and Chris's eyes narrowed as his hands snapped down to grip her arms.

"No. No you don't" he hissed "You do not want men to come on to you so you can stop pretending that you do and you can stop dressing like it as well!"

"Oh, so we're back to me being a hooker then are we?! Thanks a lot Chris!" she snapped again. "Why do you even care what I wear anyway? It's not like you have any type of feelings for me! You made that abundantly clear!" Chris growled once again.

"Of course I have feelings for you! And I care because your skin should not be on display like this!" he shouted, his blood still pumping hot with anger that was slowly turning into something else.

"Why the hell not?!" Lindsey snarled at him and the thought she would blatantly show herself off to someone else caused his anger to explode.

"BECAUSE IT SHOULD ONLY BE MINE TO SEE! NO ONE ELSES! MINE!" Chris roared as his temper got the best of him.

Lindsey gasped, her body going still and her eyes wide as her mouth fell open in surprise. Chris glared at her angrily but when she didn't retaliate; his anger receded a little, enough for him to become aware just how very close they were. Her body was pressed right up against his and if they had have been sitting down; Lindsey would have been in his lap. This thought caused the slowly transforming anger to explode inside him and complete its transformation into something decidedly brighter and a hell of a lot hotter. He stared down at her, his eyes flicking quickly down to her lips before just as quickly meeting her eyes again and he jolted as he read the hazy desire there. As he gazed into them, something deep and hot surged through his veins and he suddenly knew that there was only really one thing he could do. It was the only option he had.

He jerked her roughly up against him and slammed his lips down onto her own.


	17. Loving you

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Seventeen – Loving you

_He jerked her roughly up against him and slammed his lips down onto her own. _

For a long moment, Lindsey didn't react at all. Shock kept her still as Chris moved his lips over hers. That is until, in a move very similar to what Antonio had down to her ear earlier that evening, Chris's teeth latched on to her bottom lip and he tugged sharply before his tongue came out to run over the phantom pain. And with a jerk, Lindsey suddenly woke up. Fire raced hot and heavy through her blood and she groaned softly as her arms sprang up to fasten around Chris's neck, one hand burying itself in his hair. Chris's grunt of satisfaction turned to one of desire as she began to kiss him back eagerly, opening her mouth and granting him access the second he demanded it. The kiss became more and more aggressive as they attacked each other's mouths, each tongue racing to reach its mate and perform a complicated dance as old as time. Lindsey shuddered and groaned against his mouth again as she felt Chris trail his hand down her bare back, his fingernails scraping her spine ever so slightly. Her blood was pumping hotter and hotter and she gasped as Chris left her mouth to run his lips down her neck. Her head fell back and she shuddered again and a soft, drawn-out moan escaped her lips as his mouth ran over her collarbone, nipping softly every once in a while. The sound caused Chris to grunt again and he bit her flesh abruptly in response.

"God Lindsey…" he groaned roughly before his mouth came back up to meet hers again, only to find there was nothing to meet. Lindsey had frozen the second Chris had spoken, or more specifically spoken those words. Her Chris had said exactly the same thing to her many times before, and hearing them said in that voice and tone again had reminded her exactly who she was kissing and how much that person had hurt her. She rapidly pulled away from him and glared, trying her best to calm her racing heart and slow her breathing down. Chris blinked at her.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his desire roughened voice confused. He stepped towards her, arms raised and frowned when Lindsey took a large step back and scowled.

"No" she said firmly. Chris blinked again.

"No?" he asked in disbelief. Lindsey shook her head.

"No" she said again and folded her arms. "I'm not going to let you do this to me. Not again."

Chris scowled and ran his hand through his hair. "I have no idea what you're talking about. What do you mean, again?"

Lindsey stared at him for a second and then shook her head sadly. Of course he wouldn't know what she meant. He had no recollection of the original timeline, so he had no idea that what had just happened was very similar to how original Chris and her had begun their relationship. And how much Chris's hemming and hawing over whether he wanted to be in a relationship with her in the first place had hurt her. He'd made up for it later but that still didn't mean she hadn't lost a lot of sleep over it and him. She decided to ignore his question and get straight to the point.

"You can't do this to me Chris. You can't tell me you want nothing to do with me one minute and the next, act like it never happened and kiss the living daylights out of me! You need to make up your bloody mind and stick to it, instead of fluttering around, liking me for five minutes and hating me for the next five! Yes, I love you but that doesn't mean I'm going to let myself be walked over again. It hurts me when you act like this, and it's incredibly confusing as well!" she told him with a frown. Chris blinked at her for a third time and Lindsey's frown deepened to one of confusion when she noticed how pale he'd gone. He swallowed hard.

"You… love me?" he said softly and Lindsey froze. Dammit. Dammit, dammit, dammit! Why in the hell had she said that? He didn't need to know just how strongly she felt for him! It would just freak him out more! She sighed. But it was too late now. She'd let it slip and now he was looking at her warily, as if she was a bomb about to explode. She ran her hand through her hair agitatedly, the curls flying over her shoulders, and turned away to stare at the opposite wall.

"Yes. I do. I always have. I loved you almost from the beginning of when you showed up all those years ago and I've never stopped, no matter how many times you've done something that's made me think you don't deserve my love. The feeling isn't something you can just switch off, though I did try when it became apparent that you don't return my feelings in this timeline. I'm sorry if that freaks you out. But it's the way I feel and now that it's out there, I'm not going to deny it anymore. I can't. It's too big for that."

She gasped when her arms were suddenly caught in a strong grip and Chris spun her round to face him. He stared down into her eyes, as if he was searching for something, and then he scowled.

"You don't love me. It's him you love. Not me" he muttered as he pulled away. Lindsey's eyes widened. What was that? It had shone in his eyes when he'd said that and it had looked a lot like pain. But that couldn't be right. Could it?

"What are you talking about?! I think I'd know my own feelings Chris!" she said in an exasperated voice. Chris continued to scowl.

"You fell in love with him twenty two years ago and it's him you love now. Not me. We aren't the same person Lindsey. You can't transfer your feelings for him onto me just because we have the same face" he said quietly. Lindsey gasped again as she suddenly understood.

"Transfer my feelings for him onto you? No, you're right, I can't do that. Because I'm not transferring! When are you going to understand Chris? _You are the same person!_ How many times do I have to tell you that?!"

She held up a hand and cut him off when he frowned in defiance and went to interrupted.

"Think of it this way. Our situation is a lot like when two people are in a relationship and one of those people hits their head and suddenly doesn't remember the other person. The first person's feelings for the person with amnesia don't change do they? Even though the person may think or act differently, not that you really do, they are still the same person and their partner still loves them. The only way the first person's feelings would change was if _they_ had changed. Which I most definitely haven't. Just because you may be ever so slightly different, doesn't mean I don't still love you."

She stepped forward and took the bewildered witchlighters face into her hands.

"I loved you then, I love you now and I'll love you till the day I die and probably beyond. All this _him_ and _you_ business has to stop Chris. You are the same person and I'll love that person until that isn't possible anymore. Do you understand now? Or will I have to keep drilling it into you over and over until you get it?"

Chris was silent for a long time after Lindsey's speech. He stared down into her eyes, and as Lindsey stared back, she frowned in frustration as she didn't see any dawning comprehension. All she saw was confusion and the emotion that, in anyone else in this situation, she would have called pain. She let go of his face, stepped back and sighed.

"Not that it matters anyway. You don't even like me, so me trying to make you understand is pointless" she muttered. When Chris didn't say anything, she sighed again.

"Okay, let's just pretend my unfortunate confession never happened, shall we? I've got to get back. The others will be wondering where I am" she said as she headed to the door. Her hand was on the knob when Chris came to his senses.

"Lindsey stop. Please wait" he said as he hurriedly came forward and put his hand on her arm. He slowly turned her around and stared down at her again with a frown.

"We just shared the hottest kiss I have ever experienced. How can you possible think I don't like you after that?" he asked her softly. Lindsey cringed and looked away from him.

"You don't have to like someone to be attracted to them Chris" she answered just as softly. "Please let me go. I just want to pretend this night never happened." Chris scowled and shook her gently.

"Pretend it never happened? No way it hell! I care about you Lindsey. A lot! And yes, I'm attracted to you, but I wouldn't have acted on it if I didn't feel something other than attraction! We are going to sort this out, because after a kiss like that, there's no way I'm letting you go. Something like that is too special to let pass me by!" He growled when she just looked at him calmly. "And would you stop with that stupid mask! I hate that thing! Show me what you're really feeling, like you did before, not the blank wall you're wearing at the moment!"

Lindsey blinked and her mouth fell open. Mask? What? How the hell did he know? Only the sisters and her – no, not _her_, the _original_ Chris knew about the way she sometimes hid her emotions to stop herself from breaking. She had started using when her dad died and she still used it now when something became too much for her. Most people didn't even notice it. So how come Chris knew about it? Chris smirked slightly in satisfaction at her shocked expression.

"That's better. I don't want to see that thing again. It's not who you are Lindsey and I don't like it when you hide" he said as he gently brushed her hair back.

The gentle movement pushed Lindsey to the edge. She gasped and jerked back, her body starting to tremble as anger began to flow through her. _He doesn't want a mask? Then he won't get one! _ she thought, her inner voice almost a snarl. Her eyes narrowed and Chris's smirk disappeared as he suddenly realised exactly how angry she'd suddenly become.

"Whoa, calm down now…" he muttered as he took a slow step back and held up his hands. Lindsey's inner snarl made its way to her face and she growled at him.

"Calm down?! You tell me to calm down and just expect me to do it? My god Chris, you are one major mass of contradictions! Yesterday you were telling me you hated me and now you act like I'm your girlfriend! It's fucking frustrating!"

Lindsey watched as Chris's eyes widened when she swore at him. She smirked. Maybe now he'll understand that her feelings were strong enough to warrant such coarse language. Just because she didn't swear all that often, didn't mean she wasn't quite happy to when she needed to.

"I don't hate you!" Chris protested and Lindsey snorted.

"That's not what you said last night! What was it you called me? On, that's right! A desperate, grasping witch who doesn't know when she's not wanted! Which you conveniently haven't apologized for by the way!"

Chris stared into her angry eyes before he groaned, stepped back and rubbed his face with his hands.

"You're right. I haven't apologized yet. But I'm going to right now" he said determinedly as he grabbed her hands. She tried to tug them away, but he wouldn't let her.

"I'm sorry Lindsey. No, listen" he said as she scoffed and tried to take her hands back again. Unsuccessful, she glared over his shoulder. "I really am sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. My only excuse was that I was freaking out over what you, Mom, Dad and the Aunts had just told me. But that still doesn't mean I had the right to take it out on you. I didn't mean it either, which I think should have been pretty obvious by the way I just kissed you" he said wryly.

He reached up a hand and drew her face back round so she was looking at him again. He didn't take his hand away, just continued to rest it on her cheek. It took everything Lindsey had not to lean into it.

"I like you Lindsey Ludlow. A hell of a lot. More than I'd ever thought possible and not just as a friend. I said what I did because I was, ah… dammit." Lindsey stared in confusion as he took a deep breath before looking into her eyes again. "I was jealous" he said very quickly before looking away from her.

Lindsey frowned. "Jealous? Of what?" she asked as Chris took his hand away and stuffed them in his pockets. He looked down as his shoes and scuffed them absently.

"Chris? Of what?" she asked again, taking a step towards him when it looked like he wasn't going to answer. Her confusion swelled when he squeezed his eyes shut tight.

"Chris I-"

"Of him, okay?!" he burst out, his head shooting up and staring at her, green eyes filled with anger and… embarrassment? "I'm jealous of him! _Him!_ He had you first! You were happy with him and it _destroyed_ you when he died! You say you love me now but you loved him first and I really can't compete with that now can I?!"

Lindsey opened her mouth and then closed it again. She blinked rapidly and frowned. Oh dear lord, how the hell did she deal with _this?_ She'd had no idea he felt this way! And going by what he'd just said, he _still_ didn't believe that she loved him. Or at least, not as much as she'd loved the original him. She stepped over to him and took his face in her hands again.

"I don't think you're meant to compete Chris. You're just meant to except, we're both meant to expect, that it won't be the same. It's the same as if I'd loved a complete other person and he'd died and then I'd fallen for you. It won't be the same because no two relationships are the same. If you are going to continue to think that the two of you aren't the same person, what you have to keep in mind is that it is possible to love more than one person in a lifetime. And once we do, that love is never more or less then the love we have for the person that died. It just is. Steady and strong and completely able of making both people happy. If they let it."

They stood like that for a long time, Lindsey with Chris's face in her hands and the two of them staring into each other's eyes. Finally Chris smiled ruefully.

"When did you get to be so smart?" he asked her and Lindsey laughed.

"I've always been this way, didn't you know that?" she said with a small grin and Chris grinned back at her.

"So… do you forgive me?" he asked hopefully. Lindsey pursed her lips and then caught her breath at the way Chris's eyes flicked down to them. When he met her eyes again, they had darkened considerably. She swallowed and stepped back. She wasn't ready for that yet.

"That depends" she said quietly as she sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Chris shook his head, as if to clear it, and frowned at her.

"On what?" he asked.

"On where we go from here" she answered in a soft voice. She turned back to him and folded her arms. "I don't think I can be friends with you Chris. What you said… it hurt me too much for me to be able to be friends with you."

"I know it did and I feel terrible about it. I'm very sorry Lindsey. More than you can ever imagine." Chris said earnestly before sighing. "But if you can't even be friends with me, how can we ever be anything more?"

Lindsey jolted slightly and suddenly began to find her hands quite fascinating. "I wasn't, ah… I wasn't aware that was what you wanted" she mumbled at them. She looked up again when Chris laughed in disbelief.

"My God Lindsey, I kiss you and then tell you I like you and you still don't realise that I want more then friendship?" he said with raised eyebrows. Lindsey shrugged.

"Until now, you never said that you did" she pointed out and Chris snorted and muttered something. Lindsey couldn't be sure, but it sounded a lot like _actions speak louder then words._

"Yeah, well, I was trying to figure out how I was feeling. And there was Bianca to consider…" he explained. Lindsey winced.

"I didn't think about her" she said softly and Chris nodded.

"Neither did I and that made the way I felt about you even harder to deal with. I was going to marry her Lindsey. It was confusing to feel something so strong for someone who wasn't my fiancée. But enough about that for now. We need to get to the part where you forgive me before I go insane" he said with crooked grin. Lindsey smiled slightly and took a deep breath.

"I have to ask you something" she said and Chris nodded eagerly.

"Anything" he said and Lindsey smiled again as she took another breath, filling her lungs and bracing herself. This was really going to hurt if she didn't get the answer she wanted. She stepped over to him and took his hand.

"You need to be honest okay?" she said and took another breath when Chris nodded. "Okay, here goes. Chris, umm, well you need to tell me how you feel about me." Chris frowned.

"I thought I did-" he stopped when Lindsey held up her hand.

"I know you said you like me but… Chris, do you… do you love me? Are you in love with me?"

Lindsey stared up into his eyes and her heart fell when she saw what was in them. Chris swallowed.

"Oh God, Lindsey, I'm sorry but… no. No, I'm not in love with you."

~0~

Chris felt like throwing himself off a cliff. Lindsey's face when he had said that… he'd crushed her. He'd felt it, just like he had the night before. He'd broken her heart again and it killed him that he had. But she'd told him to be honest. And, knowing that it was important that he was, he'd told the truth. Lindsey turned away from him and her hand was on the doorknob again before he knew it.

"No wait" he said as he grabbed her for the third time and spun her around. He groaned softly when he saw her face. He reached up to brush away her tears with his thumb.

"Please, Lindsey, please don't cry. You told me to be honest and I was. I like you one hell of a lot and I care about you even more, but love… it's a big step. I've only known you for a couple of months and I need more time than that. I was with Bianca for a year before I told her I loved her. And that's a factor as well. I loved Bianca, or at least I thought I did. To love someone else so soon after that… it's not something I can do" he said. He drew her towards him and rested his forehead against hers.

"Just because I'm not there at the moment, doesn't mean I won't ever get there. You are an amazing person. Strong, confident, caring, kind and everything I've ever wished for in a woman. Plus you are so incredibly smoking hot; it raises my blood pressure just to be in the same room as you."

He pulled back slightly and grinned at her when she gave a small laugh. "There you go. That's what I'm after. Please don't be sad. You mean more to me then you can possibly imagine. When I saw what that asshole did to you on the dance floor… he's lucky I only threatened him" he muttered angrily. Lindsey laughed softly again and then frowned as she remembered something.

"You called me yours" she murmured and Chris winced.

"You heard that?" he said as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to treat you like an object. I just really hated what he was saying and doing to you. I didn't really like anyone else looking at you either." He shrugged. "Seems I'm a lot more possessive then I thought I was."

Lindsey slowly shook her head. "No, that's okay; I didn't mind it all that much." She slowly raised her eyes to his. "I think I'm quite happy being yours" she whispered and Chris's eyes brightened.

"So you forgive me then?" he asked just as hopefully as last time. "Please say you do. Even though I didn't give you the answer you wanted, I-" Lindsey interrupted him with a frown.

"But you did I think. You may not lo-,ah" she cleared her throat as her voice broke and took a steading breath. Chris's hand came up to her cheek again, and this time she allowed herself to lean. "You may not love me now, but you will soon. I guarantee it."

Chris quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he said with a grin. Lindsey smiled back.

"Yes, really" she said cheerfully and Chris laughed.

"So… forgiven?" he asked, eyebrow still raised. Lindsey looked up into his eyes for a long moment before, very slowly, she nodded.

"Oh thank god" Chris breathed as relief flowed through him. "I don't know how longer I could have held out." Lindsey frowned again.

"From doing what?" she asked. Chris grinned.

"This" he said simply before pulling her to him and laying his lips on hers once again.

~0~

The kiss was sweet this time, full of unspoken and hidden emotion, as well as sharp need and desire. He moved his lips over hers slowly, sweeping his tongue over her lower lip, softly asking for entrance. Lindsey moaned quietly and did as he asked. They kissed each other like that for a long time, lingering over soft sounds and gentle caresses. Lindsey's head had just fallen back to give him access, her eyes closed in bliss, and Chris was savouring her collarbone while he ran the pads of his fingertips up and down her spine, when there were multiple tinkling sounds which neither of them heard. Nor did they see the blue and white orbs that filled the room. But they did break apart with a jolt and a couple of bewildered and blinking expressions when they heard Melinda cry-

"Well eureka and halleluiah! It's about damn time!"


	18. At fault

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Eighteen – At fault

_But they did break apart with a jolt and a couple of bewildered and blinking expressions when they heard Melinda cry-_

"_Well eureka and halleluiah! It's about damn time!" _

Lindsey couldn't help it. As she met the eyes of the four witches standing in front of her and Chris – all four of them grinning their asses off – she blushed to the roots of her hair. God this was embarrassing. Why was it that everyone seemed to walk in (or in this case orb in) on them? Was it not possible for them to share a private moment? Going by the way their companions were smirking at them, apparently not. She crossed her arms and scowled.

"What is with you Halliwells and locked doors?" she grumbled. Her scowl only deepened when PJ, Tammy and Mel all chuckled. She glared at her roommates.

"Sorry Linds, but we have to use the same excuse as last time" PJ said as she stepped over to her and put her arm around Lindsey's shoulder. "We were worried about you. You and Chris were gone for so long that we thought you might need rescuing."

"Did it look like I needed rescuing?" she demanded and then cringed when she realised what she'd said. Melinda grinned knowingly.

"No, it really didn't look like you did" she said innocently. As the others laughed and Lindsey scowled again, she turned to Wyatt with an expectant expression.

"Pay up" she said, holding out her hand and flicking her fingers. Wyatt frowned.

"What? Come on, this doesn't mean that you won!" he cried. Mel scoffed.

"Did I or did I not say that he wouldn't last more than a day?" she demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes you did say a day. One day. 24 hours Mel! It's been longer than that so technically I'm the winner, not you" Wyatt said as he stared at her defiantly. Lindsey's eyes widened as she realised what they were talking about and Melinda glared at her oldest brother.

"You made a bet?" she whispered, horrified. "You made a bet? On me?" Melinda glanced at her and grinned again.

"On how long it would take for Chris to cave and admit that what he said to you last night was a load of horse shit and that he did, in fact, have feelings for you. I said he wouldn't last longer than a day-"

"And I said that he would need at least two days to sort himself out" Wyatt finished.

"It hasn't been two days" Melinda said with narrowed eyes. "So I win, not-"

"A day is 24 hours and I do believe it's been more than 24 hours" Wyatt interrupted her with a satisfied smirk. "So _I_ win. _You _lose. Now, you pay up little sis."

Lindsey's eyes narrowed as they continued their playful banter. They had bet on her and Chris? And now they were arguing over who had won? What was going on here?

"You… bet… can't believe…" she spluttered in disbelief, her face red again. She stepped forward to give them a piece of her mind when a strangled sound reached her. Her head whipped round and she stared at the man who, not a couple of minutes before, she had been sharing a very sexy little interlude with. Was he… laughing? Her eyes narrowed futher as she watched his shoulders shake. He was!

"You find this funny?" she hissed at him. Chris turned to look at her and Lindsey swore her heart skipped a beat or two. His bottle-green eyes were alight with suppressed laughter. The emotion shone out of them, making them sparkle - which made them absolutely breath-taking. She stared into them as he came towards and, when PJ stepped back to let him in, he put his arm around her shoulder and grinned at her.

"Not the fact that they bet on us no, but I do find it funny that you're embarrassed about being caught. You're going to have to get used to that beautiful, because I plan on sharing a lot of public displays of affection with you." He leaned in closer, his lips just brushing her ear. "And some that aren't quite so public" he said in a throaty whisper. Lindsey shivered and swallowed hard as he pulled back to stare at her.

"Okay, that's enough sexy, romantic crap. Come on, we've still got a birthday to celebrate!" Melinda said with a grin as she grabbed Lindsey's arm and yanked her away from Chris. Lindsey rolled her eyes.

"Sexy, romantic crap?" she queried as they all left the room and went back out into the club. Melinda shrugged.

"Well that's what it is, isn't it?" she asked.

"Sexy and romantic, yes, but I wouldn't call it crap" Lindsey said with a smile over her shoulder at a certain green-eyed witchlighter. Chris smiled back and winked at her. This time Melinda rolled her eyes.

"It will be if you two keep up all this lovey-dovey stuff" she muttered and then chuckled when Lindsey frowned at her.

"Just kidding! I'm happy for the two of you! But I will repeat what I said earlier though. It took you long enough!" she said with a grin as they sat down at their table again and Wyatt and Chris left to get them drinks.

"But they're together and happy now Mel, so that's all that matters" Tammy pointed out and PJ nodded in agreement.

"And you're just jealous because you haven't got anyone at the moment" the oldest of the three pointed out. Melinda shrugged again.

"Course I am" she said cheerfully and the three girls laughed. As they began talking how relieved they were that things had finally worked out, Lindsey sighed.

Yes, she was happy that her and Chris were together now – hell, she was ecstatic! But they weren't together they way she'd thought they were going to be when she first came here. Chris wasn't in love with her. And her baby, _their_ baby… their baby was gone. She would never hold it in her arms and rock it to sleep, kiss its forehead and have it keep her up at night. Nor would she ever have the chance to try for another one. She was barren now and even if Chris did fall in love with her, she'd never be able to give him the family she knew he wanted. It was one of the things he'd opened up to her about in the past. He'd really wanted to go back to the changed future, settle down and have a family. He'd been desperate for it, desperate to prove that he hadn't inherited a 'bad dad' gene. And once they'd gotten together, Lindsey had been desperate to give it to him.

But she couldn't anymore. Though it hadn't yet been bought up in conversation, she sensed that the Chris of now wanted a family just as badly. And she couldn't give him one because she couldn't have children any longer. Her one chance was gone. How long would it be before Chris started resenting her for that, especially if he hadn't fallen in love with her first? Or maybe it would be worse if he had? God. If she lost him because of it… she didn't think she'd be able to handle it. Not on top of losing the baby as well.

She sighed again and tried to shake off her morose thoughts. Why was she thinking like this? They'd only just begun and she was already despairing about the day he would leave her? She needed to get over herself! This was a birthday celebration, which wasn't the time to be lost in sadness and depression. She was meant to be having fun!

She looked up as a finger brushed over her cheek. She smiled at Chris, who frowned back down at her, his eyes concerned.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly as he sat down beside her. Lindsey looked away from him and picked up the drink he had sat in front of her.

"Nothing's wrong" she murmured. Chris continued to frown.

"Yes there is. Not only can I sense it, but that damn mask is back in place. Didn't I tell you I didn't want to see that again?" he said softly as he searched her eyes. "Please tell me what's hurting you Lindsey, so that I can fix it" he whispered imploringly.

Lindsey stared into his eyes for a long moment, fighting with herself. She wanted to tell him, he really did and she knew that she'd have to tell him eventually. Their relationship wouldn't go anywhere unless they were honest with each other. But tonight wasn't the right time to get into it. She didn't want to scare him off by bringing up something this big so soon. Making her decision, she smiled at him softly.

"I really am fine Chris, you don't need to worry" she tried to assure him. "I was just thinking about something that's all. Something that I'm not quite ready to talk about yet." Chris blew out a breath.

"But you'll come to be the second you are, won't you?" he asked and Lindsey nodded.

"You'll be the first to know" she said with another smile "How long do you have before you have to go back to work?"

"Not too long, but long enough for a dance, if you'd care to join me?" Chris asked as he stood up and held out his hand to her. Lindsey's smiled widened.

"I'd love to" she said, putting her hand in his.

~0~

The group didn't stay too much longer. Chris had to go back to work and even though Lindsey still had fun with the other four, all she really wanted to do was hang out with him. So apart from a couple more dances, which Mel and Tammy forced her into, she spent most of her time up at the bar, talking to Chris in between him serving.

It was about an hour later when they all decided to call it a night. As well as having papers to grade, Wyatt was also going demon hunting again the next day so wanted to get as much rest as possible. Melinda had some 'major cramming' to do as she put it, Tammy was going to help her and PJ had an assignment for the paper she had to complete. Everyone apart from Lindsey had plans for the next day, so they didn't want to out late, which Lindsey was fine with. She would have been fine with anything that gave her the chance to sit and talk to Chris all night, so she was happy. That is until; Chris put a stop to her plans.

"You need to go home with the others" he insisted and Lindsey stared at him in disbelief.

"You don't want me to hang out here with you?" she asked him, trying her best to keep the hurt out of her tone. It must have leaked through though, because Chris's expression softened and he leaned over the bar to tip her chin up and kiss her softly.

"Of course I do, but you need all the rest you can get as well. You're going to have a big day tomorrow" he said. Lindsey raised her eyebrow.

"I am?" she asked. Chris grinned and nodded.

"Ah huh. You and I have got a pretty packed day and I don't want you to fall asleep half way through" he said impishly. Lindsey laughed softly.

"Well, I guess I better go then" she said with a small grin. "Wanna walk me home?" She was slightly surprised at the relief she felt when Chris nodded eagerly.

"Just give me five to let the staff know I'll be away for ten minutes or so" he said as he turned away to wipe his hands. As he did that, Lindsey got up to go wait with the others. Melinda quirked an eyebrow when she saw Chris come and stand beside her not too long after.

"Playing hooky again?" she asked with a grin. Chris shrugged and grinned back.

"Gotta see my girl home" he said and as clichéd as it was, Lindsey couldn't help feeling her insides melt at being called Chris's girl. "Being manager comes with certain perks you know, which I'm quite happy taking advantage of" he finished. PJ laughed.

"I wonder what Aunt Piper would say about that?" she teased him. Chris shrugged again.

"I don't think she'd really care at the moment, considering Lindsey and I are finally together and that's what her and the Aunts have been wanting from the beginning" he said as he drew Lindsey into his side and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him.

"How do you know that?" she asked as the group headed up the stairs and out into the night. "She didn't go on at you about it did she?" Chris shook his head.

"No, but I know she never liked Bianca and going by the way she acted when you arrived and the little bits and pieces I've picked up since, I've come to realise how much all of them wanted us to be together. They reamed me out over the way I spoke to you, which they had every right to do, might I add. They really care about you and, well, they love me so it made sense that they would want us together" he said with a grin.

Lindsey turned to grin at him as well as the group stopped in the alley behind the club. Her grin softened to a smile when Chris glanced at the wall where the demon had had her pinned and quickly moved them to the other end of the alley.

"Oh they love you, do they?" she asked as she stepped into his arms. Chris's grin widened.

"Of course they do. I'm completely loveable. You should know that!" he exclaimed and everyone else grinned at the sound of Lindsey's happy laughter as they orbed and hearted home.

~0~

_**Lindsey was standing in the bottom of a large hill. She spun around on the spot, wondering where she was and what she was doing there. The last thing she remembered, she'd been in bed and was closing her eyes with a smile on her face after her and Chris had said goodnight for a solid ten minutes. She smiled to herself. Man that boy could kiss! She shook her head to clear her thoughts and started climbing the hill. Maybe if she got to the top she would be able to see where to go from there. She wasn't sure how long she'd been climbing before she realised that the top wasn't getting any closer. She frowned and stopped. What was going on here?**_

_**She stared to climb again and then stopped again when she glanced up and the top seemed to be even further away then before. This happened a number of times and no matter how long she climbed or how many times she stopped, the top never go any closer. She huffed out a breath in annoyance. She really wanted to see what was on the other side and she really wanted to get over this damn hill! Why couldn't she do that? Why couldn't she get over it?**_

_**She was scowling at the top of the hill in frustration, sweat running down her neck from her continuous climbing, when she blinked and squinted. What was that? There was something sitting on top of the hill, she was sure of it. She squinted harder. Was that… a cradle? Lindsey gasped and began to climb frantically. It was a cradle! There was a cradle sitting on top of the hill and there might be a ba-**_

_**The second she even began to think the word 'baby' the air was suddenly filled with the forlorn, lonely, upset cries of a very distraught newborn. The screams rang through Lindsey's head and set her heart pounding. There was a baby in there! There was a baby in the cradle sitting on the top of the hill, all alone and she had to get to it! She had to! It could be hurt and going by those cries, it probably was!**_

_**But, once again, the hill didn't want to co-operate. The faster and harder she climbed, the further away the top and the cradle got. Lindsey got more and more desperate. She pushed on; her breath beginning to come out in sobs as her heart slammed against her ribs and her legs began to give way. She had to get to the baby! Why couldn't she get to the baby?! The harder she tried, the more she sobbed and the louder the screams got until they almost seemed to form words.**_

"_**Help me! Help me! Why won't you help me! You left me! You didn't love me! You didn't protect me! You let me go and then you forgot about me! You were glad when I left! It's all your fault! I died because of you!" **_

_**No. No! Please no! she cried in her head as she pushed herself more and more until her legs began to scream in time with the baby at the top of the hill. I'm sorry! I loved you and I'm sorry I let you go! Please forgive me!**_

_**The baby didn't seem to be listening. She pushed herself harder, determined to reach it and tripped over a rock, hitting the ground hard. She groaned in pain, pulled herself up slowly, wiped her wet cheeks and began to climb again. She lifted her head to check her distance and stopped again, puzzled. Chris? The figure standing beside the cradle turned at her thought and glared at her.**_

"_**Chris! The baby! Help the baby!" she called and then frowned in bewilderment when he just folded her arms.**_

"_**Why the hell should I? You didn't. You just let it die and now I'll never have the family I want! It's your fault Lindsey! You let our baby die! How could I ever possibly love you after that?!" Lindsey moaned and wrapped her arms around herself.**_

"_**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please forgive me, I didn't mean to" she wept as she began to run towards the baby and him, tripping up on every second step.**_

"_**It doesn't matter that you didn't mean to, it still happened! You don't care! You don't care! YOU DON'T CARE!" he shouted and as Lindsey watched in horror, still pushing herself towards them but getting nowhere, he grabbed the handle of the cradle and shoved.**_

"_**NOOOO!" Lindsey screamed as the baby's cries took on a terrified note and the cradle hurtled off the edge. Her body gave out on her and she curled up in a ball on the grass, shoulders shaking with her sobs as Chris stood above her and laughed. **_

Lindsey woke with a gasp and shot up in the bed. She began to shake as the dream and all the emotions it had unleashed rushed through her. All of the pain, all of the loss, all of the blame she felt at the death of her unborn child filled her until she couldn't hold it back anymore. She bought her knees up to her chest, buried her face in them and cried. And cried. And cried.

~0~

Chris sighed as he locked the club doors. It had been a long night. After Lindsey and the others had left, he'd found himself wishing that time would speed up. He couldn't wait till the next day when he'd get to see her again. He couldn't wait till he could look into those beautiful eyes, kiss those soft lips, run his hands through the hair that seemed to have a life of its own, press that amazing body against his… he blew out a breath as his blood began to heat. No use thinking about that type of stuff now. Not when there was no way he could do anything about it. He'd just have to wait until tomorr-

He stopped suddenly as his head came up. What was that? It felt like… pain. A lot of pain. And it was coming from… He gasped and, not caring that he was out in public and that anyone could come along and see him, he disappeared.

~0~

The first time Chris had orbed in Lindsey's bedroom, it had been filled with the sound of her breathing in her sleep. This time it was filled with the sound of her tears. Chris's head snapped towards her, and as soon as he realised she wasn't being attacked or wasn't hurt physically in any way, he bolted towards the bed and scooped her up in his arms, sitting back against the wall and drawing her back against him. He wrapped his arms around her, laid his chin on her head and slowly began to rock.

"Shhh, shhh, it's okay, I'm here now" he whispered as he held her. Lindsey, who had jolted when she felt someone grab her, relaxed only slightly when she recognized his voice. Instead she seemed to hold herself stiff and even tried to pull away. But Chris wouldn't let her. He pulled back slightly and lifted her chin till he met her tear-filled eyes.

"Hey, none of that. You obviously need to cry. So cry. Don't hold it in; you'll just make it worse. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere, so you can let it out" he said softly. Lindsey met his gaze steadily for a moment or two before her face crumbled. With a choked sob, she buried her face into his chest. Chris gathered her close and rocked her as she cried; her body shaking as she finally let her emotions out, rubbing his hand up and down her back soothingly and pressing kisses to her head once in a while.

After a substantial amount of time, Lindsey gradually began to settle down. Her sobs slowed down to sniffs and her body stopped trembling. She sniffed one last time and pulled back. This time Chris let her go. He reached out to gently brush back her hair as he met her eyes.

"You want to tell me what that was all about?" he asked softly. Lindsey looked away.

"It's nothing, don't worry about it" she answered as she stared at the opposite wall. Chris reached out and took hold of her chin, pulling her face back towards him.

"Don't lie to me Lindsey. I know you're hurting. Not only do I need to know why because I'm your Whitelighter, but also because I'm your boyfriend. That's if I am your boyfriend. We haven't exactly talked about that yet" he said with a frown. Lindsey sighed.

"Yes, you are. That's if you, ah… that's if you want to be" she said in a rush as she stared at his nose. Chris laughed softly and let go of her chin.

"Oh, I most definitely want to be" he assured her and Lindsey smiled through her lingering tears. "That's better. Now, you want to fill me in or am I going to have to wring in out of you?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow. Lindsey sighed again and looked down at her hands.

"It was just a dream" she murmured. Chris's eyebrow went higher.

"Must have been some dream if it make you react like that" he mused, his eyes not leaving her face. Lindsey nodded slowly.

"It was, ah, it was about the b-baby" she whispered roughly, voice breaking on the last word. "I guess it ah; I guess it all just caught up on me."

Chris sucked in a breath. That hadn't been what he was expecting. He'd thought she was over it. She'd certainly acted like she was. He reached for her again and pulled her back into his arms.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm sorry" he whispered in her ear as she clung to him. "Do you want to talk about it? It might make you feel better."

He frowned as he felt Lindsey hesitate before she slowly shook her head.

"No, that's okay, you were right, I just needed to cry" she finally answered. She pulled back and looked at him. "Are _you_ okay? You lost your child too."

"Yes, but I didn't even know it was mine until after it had gone, so it hasn't affected me as much as it must have had you" he said while he searched her eyes. He didn't like that hesitation. It was like she was deliberately holding something back. Keeping something from him. But what?

"I know, but I'm still s-sorry" she said, her voice breaking again and her eyes looking anywhere but him. Chris frowned once more.

"Lindsey, what is it?" he asked her in a slightly desperate voice and Lindsey took a deep breath and shook her head.

"I'm fine but… can you stay? Can you stay with me tonight?" she asked, a little but desperate herself. She sighed in relief when Chris drew his eyebrows together and nodded.

"Thank you" she whispered and gratefully went into his arms. Chris tucked her in, sat up to quickly take off his shirt, shoes and belt, got under the covers and put his arms around her, spooning her. He kissed the top of her head again.

"You do know you can talk to me about anything, right?" he murmured against her hair. He felt her sigh.

"I know. I just… can't. I just can't at the moment" she whispered back. Chris sighed himself.

"Okay. But the second you can…"

"You'll be the first to know" she repeated what she'd said earlier that evening.

"Good. I'll hold you to that" Chris grumbled. Lindsey smiled and then sighed once again before snuggling back into him.

"I'm glad you're here Chris" she murmured, already half asleep. Chris rested his forehead against her hair and tightened his hold on her.

"So am I" he answered as he closed his eyes. Five minutes later he opened them again and he stayed awake for most of the night, holding her and worrying about what was running through his sleeping girlfriends head.


	19. Happy and horrified

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Antonio and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Nineteen – Happy and horrified

"_So am I" he answered as he closed his eyes. Five minutes later he opened them again and he stayed awake for most of the night, holding her and worrying about what was running through his sleeping girlfriends head. _

Bianca gasped for breath as Antonio rolled off her, her heart thundering and her body covered in sweat. She smirked in satisfaction. Nothing like a hard, ahem, _workout_ to clear the mind and work out all the kinks. She turned her head and ran her eyes over her workout buddy as he panted beside her. Her smirk turned seductive and she ran her finger over his sweat slicked arm.

"My, aren't you one hell of an Italian stallion" she purred. Antonio looked at her and frowned.

"Antonio is Spanish, not Italian" he said and Bianca rolled her eyes.

"Whatever" she said dismissively. "It doesn't matter what you are, all that matters is that you get the job done. And boy, do you ever get the job done" she finished in a throaty murmur. Her smirk came back when Antonio puffed up with pride. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was playing on a man's ego so that she always ended up getting what she wanted. In Bianca's world, that was all that mattered.

After sufficiently stroking her lovers' ego, she pulled away from him, climbed out of the bed and began to get dressed. Antonio watched her, his expression shuttered.

"You can not stay?" he asked quietly and Bianca threw him a patronizing look.

"You already know the answer to that. This isn't anything Antonio. It's just a way to relieve stress and that's all it's ever going to be. I'm in love with someone else" she said as she sat on the side of the bed to slip on her heels, not noticing the disappointment that ran across her lovers' face before in went blank again.

"You are a cold bitch, Querida" he murmured and Bianca shrugged.

"You knew what you were getting into. If you're not happy with it, leave. I have plenty of other men who would be more than happy to keep me company" she said. Antonio blinked and smirked.

"Are you sure Chilosa? Your man did not want you, no? He chose someone else" he said slyly and Bianca spun on the spot to glare at him.

"Shut the hell up! Chris loves me and he'll come back to me the instant he realises what he's missing!" she hissed. Antonio chuckled.

"Did not seem that way to Antonio. He seemed caught up in his woman last night" he said. Bianca's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she growled and Antonio's smirk grew.

"Your Chris looked very passionate about the tall, sexy one… ah, Lindsey? Yes, he looked very passionate and _very _territorial when Antonio made his move. Antonio got the picture. She is his. How can she be his if he is yours?" he asked with a small, slightly cruel smile. Bianca's eye's widened.

"Are you telling me that Chris and that freak are together?" she whispered frantically. Antonio beamed and nodded.

"Si. Antonio watched. They came out and he kissed her. She is his" he confirmed, his expression one of great satisfaction as Bianca began to tremble with anger. She ignored this as she turned away. He didn't matter. All that mattered was the Chris was hers and that stupid, selfish little bitch wasn't going to get away with this. She's see to that. She'd teach that freaky-eyed mutant a lesson for thinking she could play with someone else's toys. But first she needed a drink. Without another word to her sometimes lover, she shimmered away to bolster her bitter and enraged emotions with liquid courage.

~0~

Chris woke slowly. His first thought was that he very comfortably warm. Heat seemed to surround him and as he became aware of the person he was still holding in his arms, he realised why. He smiled and ran his hand gently down Lindsey's arm. The girl shivered unconsciously under his touch, sifting slightly in her sleep and making a small murmuring sound before she settled back down again. His smile widened. God she was beautiful. And she was all his. At that moment, Chris couldn't have been happier. That was until he remembered the reason why he was sharing a bed with her. He frowned. The emotion that had poured out of her last night… it had been appalling, the way she had hidden all that inside her. And it had scared the shit out of him.

Not wanting to look too closely at the reason why it seemed like Lindsey's pain was his pain as well, Chris very gently pulled away from her. He really didn't want to wake her up. It was still early and she had expended a lot of energy crying last night, so he wanted her to replenish her stores as much as possible. She murmured again as he left the bed, turning over and reaching for him, frowning when she didn't find what she was looking for. Chris reached out and softly brushed her hair back before moving his hand down to cup her cheek. He smiled again when, still asleep, she moved into his hand. Leaning down, he gently brushed his lips against hers and then nodded in satisfaction when his actions settled her back into a deeper sleep. Turning away, he padded barefoot to the closed door and out of the room. He needed coffee.

He got a surprise when he entered the kitchen. Melinda was standing at the counter, yawning as she lazily stirred a pot on the stove. The contents looked a lot like porridge. With a grimace, he headed for the coffee pot. He hated porridge. As he picked up a cup, he absently wondered what she was doing up so early. It was very unusual for his little sister to be up at 8am on a sunday. Melinda had turned at the sound of the door opening and her brows soon got lost in her hairline as she watched Chris pour himself some coffee. She leaned back against the counter, folded her arms and smirked at him.

"Well, well, well. That took a lot less time than I thought it would. Didn't know Lindsey had it in her" she teased him knowingly. Chris stilled and slowly put his cup down.

"Be careful Melinda" he warned in a low voice. His sisters' eyes widened and she help up her hands.

"Hey, I don't mean anything by it" she said hurriedly. "I'm happy for the two of you. I really am. I just didn't think she was the type of person to jump straight into bed with someone. Didn't think you were either actually."

Chris grunted and picked up his cup again. "She's not. We're not. Lindsey had a nightmare last night. It was about the baby and it hit her pretty hard. I came as soon as I sensed her pain and stayed to comfort her. Nothing else happened" he said quietly. Melinda's face softened and she grimaced.

"Oh damn. Is she okay?" she asked. Chris shook his head and sighed.

"Not really. I've never seen her cry like that Mel. It was terrifying and made me feel really horrible and incredibly guilty. I knew losing the baby hurt her, she went insane at Bianca, but I had thought she was slowly moving past it. I should have realised that she wasn't. Turns out she was just hiding from it instead." He finished his coffee and put the cup down with a snap. "Well she won't be doing that again" he said decisively. Melinda smiled.

"Good. You are exactly what she needs at the moment Chris. Stick to your guns, but also realise that that probably won't be the last time she breaks down. It's a terrible thing, losing something you love. Just be there for her when it happens, okay?"

Chris nodded. "I will be" he said. He then narrowed his eyes at her.

"You know, that was pretty good advice. When did you grow up?" he asked suspiciously. Melinda grinned.

"A while ago" she told him. "You just weren't looking."

Chris laughed and watched in interest as she turned back to the stovetop.

"Soooo. Any chance of maybe getting some bacon going?" he asked hopefully. Melinda snorted.

"Yeah, maybe. If you cook it" she said with a grin over her shoulder. Chris pouted.

"Aww. You make it better than I do-"

"Chris?"

Chris spun towards the door as his rumbled girlfriend came into the kitchen. He smiled to himself when he saw her. Her hair was a mess and there was a sleep crease on her cheek. She was adorable. He made his way over to her and cupped her cheek again.

"Hey. I was hoping you'd get more sleep then this. How're you feeling?" he asked her quietly. Lindsey smiled sleepily, the smile not quite reaching her eyes.

"I'm okay" she whispered and then sighed at Chris's stern look. "I really am okay. I slept better than I thought I would. You being there really helped." Chris smiled.

"Glad to be of service, ma'am" he said. "Do you want to talk about it now?" Lindsey looked down and shook her head. He frowned and sighed, resigned to the fact that he would have to wait her out.

"Okay. Well we better have some breakfast, we've got a busy day today" he said and Lindsey smiled again as he bought her forward to kiss her. It started off innocently enough, but they soon got caught up in each other. Melinda had to clear her throat twice, quite loudly, before they broke apart. She grinned at them.

"Ugh. You two are so gross" she teased them as they blinked at her. She then turned back to stove, picked up the pot and offered it to them with an eager smile.

"So, porridge anyone?"

~0~

After a breakfast of porridge and slightly burnt bacon – Melinda really was better at cooking it then Chris was – and eggs, Lindsey took a shower and got dressed while Chris orbed to the Manor to get changed. He was back 15 minutes later, dragging the protesting witch out of her room.

"You could at least give me a chance to put some shoes on Chris!" she said as she hopped on one foot. He stopped and tapped his own foot impatiently.

"Come one, we've got to go" he said with a frown as Lindsey tied her laces. She stood up and took his hand with a frown of her own.

"Stop being so impatient! I'm ready now. Where are we going anyway?" she asked. Chris grinned.

"You'll see" he said. He laughed when his girlfriend groaned and orbed them to their destination.

~0~

Said destination turned out to be an island in the middle of San Francisco Bay.

"Alcatraz? We're touring Alcatraz?" Lindsey asked when she took in their surroundings. Chris nodded.

"I thought it would be interesting. I've never been here and-"

"You've never been to Alcatraz?" Lindsey interrupted, surprised. Chris nodded again and shrugged.

"Never got around to it. I've always wanted to though. Even though she found a murderous spirit here, Aunt Phoebe always said it was really fascinating place to visit. But if you don't want to we can go somewhere else" he said. Lindsey smiled at him and shook her head.

"No, it's okay, I quite like this place. It's very historical and I'm interested to see what's changed in the twenty years since I was last here. But no ghosts please" she said. Chris looked relieved and grinned.

"No promises beautiful. Shall we?" he asked, holding out his arm. Lindsey grinned back at him as she accepted it.

It took them two hours to tour the ancient prison and with no ghosts in sight, they both enjoyed it tremendously. After the island, they had an early lunch at the Hard Rock Café and then went to see a magic show at the San Francisco Magic Parlour. They both laughed over what people considered magic, but they still had fun. They spent the rest of the afternoon at Pier 39, enjoying the street entertainment, the window shopping and the Sea Lion colony. Since the day was so warm, Chris then took her to Triquetra to pick up a picnic basket and they had a finger food dinner in Golden Gate Park. Lindsey had never had so much fun in her life. Sure, she had had fun with Chris from the past, but his mission had always been in the background and most of the time it ended up trumping anything they did together. So she was really happy that he now seemed to like the idea of an actual date just as much as she did.

Though the day was fun, Lindsey's dream still sat heavily in the back of her mind. She knew Chris was doing his best to take her mind off it and she was grateful for that. She also knew he was disappointed she hadn't confided in him. She was disappointed in herself as well. But she just couldn't. Not yet anyway. She needed to know that their relationship was strong and steady before she bought something like that up. She ignored the little voice in the back of her mind that said she was just making excuses, and that the real reason she couldn't tell him about the dream was because she was scared of his reaction. She wasn't ready to deal with that yet either. She sighed with happiness as she lay with her head in her boyfriend's lap and he ran his fingers through her hair. This was enough for the moment. She looked up and smiled at him.

"Thank you for this" she said softly. Chris smiled back and nodded and then seemed to hesitate.

"Will you come one more place with me before we call it a day?" he asked. When Lindsey nodded, he smiled again, orbed the basket to the Manor's kitchen and took her hand. Next thing Lindsey knew, she was staring at the most breath-taking view she had ever seen.

"This is my most favourite place in the world" Chris murmured as he held her tightly to brace her against the wind – well that was his excuse anyway. He turned to her suddenly with a worried expression.

"You're not afraid of heights, are you?" he asked and Lindsey shook head as she stared in wonder at the lights of San Francisco spread out before her. Most people would have been terrified to stand on the top of Golden Gate Bridge, but she loved it. And the fact that Chris would bring her here… it made her heart turn over.

She turned to him and put her hand on his cheek. "I love you Christopher Halliwell" she murmured as she stared into his eyes. His answering smile lit up the night. She sighed and stepped into him and they kissed each other as the lights of the world twinkled below them, and the moon shone off the waves in the bay.

~0~

She looked around in surprise when the parlour of the Manor formed around them.

"I thought you were taking me home?" she asked as she turned to Chris. He looked apologetic.

"Yeah, sorry, Wyatt was calling me and he wouldn't have called if it wasn't urgent. He knew how important today was to m- ah, to us. So I just thought we'd make a quick pit stop, if that all right with you?" he asked her. Lindsey shrugged.

"It's fine I guess. So, where is he then?" she asked with a smile. Chris frowned and looked up the stairs.

"In the attic I think. Do you want to stay here? Hopefully I shouldn't be long." Lindsey shook her head.

"No way. I am so coming with you. If it's interesting enough for your brother to interrupt our first date, then I want to see it as well" she said as she grinned. Chris laughed, took her hand and they made their way up the stairs and into the attic.

Lindsey's eyes widened when they stepped through the door. Whatever she had been expecting, it hadn't been this! Wyatt was standing over by the Book and right in front of him, trapped inside the crystal cage, was a demon. A demon with red eyes. Wyatt looked up as they entered and grinned at them.

"Took you long enough. What were you doing anyway, orbing from the other side of the world?" he asked. Chris frowned at him.

"I was on a date Wyatt. You know, one of those things that you haven't had in many, many years? You can't expect me to jump as soon as you tell me to. You're lucky I answered you at all" he told him. Wyatt swallowed and his eyes flicked to Lindsey guilty.

"Ah, yeah, sorry. Didn't mean to interrupt" he mumbled. Lindsey laughed and waved her hand.

"Don't worry about it. This looks intriguing enough to make up for it. What are you doing anyway?" she asked curiously, gesturing at the cowering demon. Wyatt grinned again.

"He's a Baynock demon. I caught him and bought him here to interrogate him. That's why I called you Chris. Thought you might want to be in on it" he said as both Lindsey and Chris walked over to Wyatt and looked at the trapped demon.

"How'd you catch him?" Chris asked. Wyatt grimaced.

"It was a fluke actually" he said and then sighed. "I was searching the Underworld and just happened to come across him as he was getting rid of their latest victim." Chris groaned.

"The third witch?" he asked and then growled angrily when Wyatt nodded. Lindsey frowned at them.

"Third witch? What happened to the second?" she asked. She sighed and raised an eyebrow. "Did she get found already?" Chris cringed and nodded.

"Yeah, two days ago. Sorry I didn't tell you. I had a lot on my mind" he said sheepishly. Lindsey hurriedly shook her head.

"No, it's okay. All that matters is was she alive when she was found?"

Her heart fell when both brothers slowly shook their heads. She looked at Wyatt desperately. "What about this time? Was the third alive when you found them?"

Wyatt looked at her with sad eyes. "She was but she was pretty badly hurt. I tried to heal her but she was too far gone. She passed away only a couple of minutes after this one abandoned her. When I realised I couldn't help her, I went after him."

Chris scowled at the demon. "What was her name?" he asked softly. Wyatt sighed.

"Amanda Wilcox. 24 years old, engaged and trying for a baby with her female partner. Strong, magical witch with the power to make anything grow. She's taken out quite a few demons by almost suffocating them with plant stalks and stabbing them with very large thorns" he said as he glared at his prisoner. Chris's scowl deepened.

"This has to stop" he growled. Lindsey rubbed his arm in comfort.

"It will. We just have to get it out of the demon" she said soothingly. Chris smiled at her before turning back to glower at the demon. He raised an eyebrow at his brother expectantly. Wyatt nodded and walked towards the cage.

"Okay, this is what we're going to do. I'm going to ask you a question and you're going to give me an answer. And not just any answer, the right answer. If you don't, and believe me, I will know if you don't, or if you don't answer at all, you will feel pain unlike anything you've ever felt before. Do you understand me?" he asked, his voice hard. The demon just glared at him hatefully.

Wyatt folded his lips in annoyance, stepped over to the brewing table, picked up a bottle of orange-coloured potion and threw it at the cage. It exploded when it hit, causing the cage to sizzle and glow. Small lightning-like bolts zapped from it on all sides and struck the demon, who screamed in pain. Lindsey winched and looked away. She found it very hard to see anything in pain, even evil beings. Once the demon had quieted down, Wyatt folded his arms and glared at him.

"I warned you. And I have plenty more where that came from" he said, indicating the potion covered table. "Now answer my questions. Why are you taking the witches?"

The demon raised himself up painfully and sneered at them. No words passed his lips. Wyatt picked up another potion and threw it and Lindsey shuddered as the demon's screams filled the attic. Then she pulled herself together and stared at their prisoner defiantly. She could handle this. She had to handle this. Chris had been right. The kidnappings and the deaths had to stop and the only way for that to happen was to get information out of this demon. She jolted slightly when she felt someone take her hand. She looked up quickly and when she saw Chris still glaring at their prisoner, she quickly looked back at the cage as well, hiding her smile. He hadn't made a big deal out of it, but Chris had known she needed something and had quietly given it to her, without making her look weak to the demon in the process. Her smile deepened. God she loved him.

~0~

An hour later, they still hadn't gotten anything useful out of the demon. He had eventually started talking, but everything he had said had been a large pile of codswallop. Even Lindsey could tell that. Wyatt was very quickly going through his store of potions and even though nothing showed on his face, she could tell he was getting worried. All the demon was doing now was pleading and that was all he continued to do until they were down to their last potion. Wyatt stepped in front of the table to hide that fact from him.

"TELL ME WHAT I WANT TO KNOW! WHY DID YOU TAKE THE WITCHES AND THE VESSEL?" he bellowed. The demon cringed and stayed silent. Wyatt bared his teeth and threw the last potion, causing the demon to scream hoarsely and approach the edge of the cage on his knees.

"Please, please, please" he whimpered. "I don't know! I don't know! I was just doing what I was told!"

Lindsey looked at the brothers. "Maybe he's telling the truth. Maybe he was only doing what he was told" she said in a voice quiet enough that the demon didn't hear. Chris shook his head.

"No. He knows something, he just doesn't want to tell us" he muttered, his hand still tightly caught in Lindsey's. Wyatt looked at them helplessly.

"Unfortunately, we're out of ways to get it out of him" he said. Chris pursed his lips.

"What about Elder bolts?" he suggested and Wyatt shook his head.

"Won't work. The cage reflects any magical power thrown at it. That's why the potions worked. They created small natural lightning bolts and your bolts are magical. They will just get thrown back at you. I can't create lightning either, hence why I had to use the potions" he said. Lindsey blinked.

"But I can" she said and grinned when the Halliwell brothers whipped their heads round to stare at her.

"I can manipulate the weather. It's not as strong as using the elements but it should still work" she explained. Wyatt smiled broadly.

"Yes! Well let's get started!" he said. Lindsey smiled as well and went to open the window when Chris tugged her to a stop. He pulled her towards him, took her face into his hands and searched her eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this? It could be draining" he whispered to her. Lindsey smiled softly.

"I have to Chris. This can't go on and I have to help in any way I can" she answered. Chris blew out a breath and nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, but we're stopping as soon as this gets too much for you" he said firmly. Lindsey grinned and saluted before she walked over to the window. The demon watched her warily.

She opened it, took a deep breath and raised her arms towards the calm night sky. Slowly, she unlocked the chains that kept her magic locked away and let a trickle out. When she felt it fill her, she looked towards Wyatt.

"I'm ready" she said. "Ask your questions."

Wyatt grinned and turned back to the trapped demon. "Why are you taking witches and why do you need a Vessel?" he asked. The demon's red eyes flicked from Lindsey to Wyatt and then back to Lindsey.

"I don't know" he whined. Wyatt sighed and nodded at Lindsey. She folded her lips.

"Step back" she said and when both brothers were out of the way, she flicked her hand towards the cage. Her magic surged and a perfectly formed mini lightning bolt flew through the open window and slammed into the cage. The demon shrieked in pain.

Once he had curled up in a ball on the floor, Wyatt asked him again. All he did was whimper so Lindsey struck once more. The boys were focused on his agonized screams, so they didn't notice the way Lindsey's body trembled. She'd never actually done this before, deliberately pulling lightning from a calm sky for her own use, and it was a lot harder then she'd thought it would be. She took another deep breath and imagined her legs were tree trunks. She would not collapse.

Once again, Wyatt interrogated the demon. And when he didn't answer, Lindsey struck again. This time she swayed and this time Chris noticed. He was at her side in an instant.

"No. Don't touch me. I could hurt you" she mumbled dazedly when he went to take her arm. It felt like the lightning was crawling through her veins and could strike out at any moment. Chris frowned at her and took his hand away.

"You have to stop. You're only hurting yourself" he hissed, worry ripe in his tone. Lindsey shook her head.

"I can handle a couple more" she said as she blinked to clear her vision. Chris huffed and turned to his brother.

"Get something out of him soon Wyatt. This is hurting her" he demanded. Wyatt frowned and nodded determinedly. He asked the demon again and once again, all he did was moan. Lindsey drew in a shaky breath and went to flick her hand, only to stop when the demon shouted.

"No! Stop, please stop, I'll tell you what I know! I'll tell you what I know!" he cried. Chris folded his arms and glared at him expectantly. His eyes flicked to Lindsey and stayed there.

"Your baby! You lost your baby, right?" he said eagerly. Lindsey sucked in her breath sharply and Chris hissed.

"Don't you _dare_ talk about that!" he whispered in a voice full of menace. The demon looked scared.

"No, no, listen! You lost your baby right? But you didn't! It's alive! My leader has it!" he said desperately.

Lindsey let her arm drop as the demons words rushed through her. She bolted to the edge of the cage, her heart racing.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" she croaked and the demon looked at fervently.

"The Vessel! The Vessel keeps a soul and your baby is in the Vessel! It was stolen from you and my leader is taking witches to find someone to grow it in! Your baby will be very powerful and my leader wants to raise it evil! It's alive and if you let me go, I can take you to it!" he shouted eagerly and Lindsey's legs gave out on her.


	20. Obsession

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot and Lindsey

**Quick A/N - Wow, longest chapter yet! Hope you all enjoy it and many thanks for all the reviews, follows and favourites!**

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Chapter Twenty – Obsession

"_The Vessel! The Vessel keeps a soul and your baby is in the Vessel! It was stolen from you and my leader is taking witches to find someone to grow it in! Your baby will be very powerful and my leader wants to raise it evil! It's alive and if you let me go, I can take you to it!" he shouted eagerly and Lindsey's legs gave out on her. _

Chris was there to catch her as her body crumbled in on itself. She had just enough control left to prevent the lightning running through her blood leaping out and zapping him. She didn't have enough control left to prevent her hand from snapping through the yellowish, electric-like haze that was the side of the crystal cage and latching onto the demon's neck. She ignored Chris as he gasped and tried to stop her, just as she ignored the bursts of pain that ran up her arm from the contact with the cage. Her entire focus was on the enemy that had just told her something that had turned her world on its axis. She yanked her arm forward, dragging the demon through the cage, disrupting the crystals in the process and pulled him right up into her face. She snarled at him as he struggled in her hold.

"Speak" she hissed, her magic ripe in her voice, dropping it down an octave or two. Behind her, she felt Chris shudder slightly, trembles running through the arms that were still holding her. Afraid she had hurt him; she pulled her magic back somewhat and focused it all on the demon, who gasped as her lightning zoomed out of her and ran over his skin.

"That's all I know, I swear!" he wailed and Chris scoffed.

"I don't think so! You can't know something like that and not know how it came about. How did it happen? And how do we know you're telling the truth? You better tell us now, because I'm not sure how much longer the Mother can hold herself back. Not to mention _me!_" he growled as he glared over Lindsey's shoulder. The demon trembled.

"Tell me now or I _will_ kill you" Lindsey finished in a menacing whisper and the demon frantically shook his head.

"That's all I know!" he insisted and then squeaked in fear when the lightning running over him amped up a notch. "I swear that's all I know! And I am telling you the truth! I saw him take the first witch! Jonus took the first witch and tried to transplant the soul into her but it wouldn't work! She wasn't strong enough to carry such a powerful being! So he got angry and killed her!" Chris scowled.

"Why did he take her womb?" he demanded.

"He only does that because he's angry and wants to make the witch's suffer! They die slowly with the knowledge that even if they did survive, they could never have what they wanted!" the demon whimpered. Lindsey heard Wyatt gasp and felt Chris go still and then begin to vibrate with anger. Her lightning tripled in size as her own anger swelled. How dare he! To mutilate and torment someone like that! It was despicable! She glared at the demon hatefully.

"How was my baby stolen?" she hissed as her grip tightened. The demon jerked under her hand from the pain of the lightning.

"I don't know! I'm not that high up! All I know is that Jonus made a deal with someone to get the soul, but I don't know who or how!" he moaned. "Please, let me go and I'll take you to them!"

Lindsey stared at the demon as he pleaded with them. Very slowly, the lighting pulled back as this pathetic excuse for an evil being began to get to her. He just wanted to live, and if he did what he said he would, she gradually realised that she was okay with that. They would keep him caged so he didn't attack anyone, but after he'd showed them what he'd promised to, she didn't think he would live long anyway. Not once his leader found out that he had betrayed them. So she didn't have to be the one to kill him. Her hand slowly loosened and feeling this, the demon sighed in relief. And that was when two things happened at once.

They all heard someone coming up the stairs and Lindsey's head swung round to face the door as Piper and Leo stepped through it. The older Halliwell couple frowned in confusion at what they were seeing and their presence sufficiently distracted the others. So none of the good side noticed the second demon that shimmered into the attic with a fireball already in his hand. The demon in Lindsey's hand did though. He began to shout in fear and struggle hard, and Lindsey's head whipped back round to frown at him. She followed his gaze, jolted when she saw the other demon and everyone reacted at once.

Piper shouted "Demon!" as Chris jerked Lindsey backwards and Wyatt raised his arm to TK the intruder. The second demon ignored them all, his hard, red-eyed gaze on the demon Lindsey was still holding. He threw the fireball and it struck the first demon, who screamed as the fire raced up his body and vanquished him. Lindsey gasped as the fire met her hand and she quickly jerked it back. The second demon smirked as the vanquished demon's cries faded away, and he shimmered out before Wyatt could throw him across the room or Piper could blow him up. As they all paused and realised what had just happened, Lindsey blinked and stared at the spot where their informant had been, her hand cradled against her chest. He was gone. The demon was gone. The only way to find her baby was _gone._

"No. No, no, no, no, no!" she whispered as she frantically searched the empty space in front of her. Lightning exploded out of her and raced over her skin and Chris hissed as it shocked him, causing him to automatically let her go and fall back from her. Her hair began to stand on end as the lightning took over her whole body and the air began to sizzle and crack with ozone. The Halliwells flinched and moved away from her as she curled up on her knees and trembled, her magic ruling her. She wasn't sure how long she sat there, her shock, loss and anger fuelling the magic flowing in and around her. Dimly, she registered Piper speaking in the background.

"No, Chris, don't!" she said, worry in her tone. "She'll hurt you! She needs to get control of herself before anyone can touch her!"

"I don't care. If she hurts me, she hurts me. She needs me at the moment and I'm not leaving her like this" Chris answered quietly.

At first, she didn't even feel the hands on her shoulders. She was too caught up in her emotions and magic for that. Though it was impossible not to register herself being turned around.

"Lindsey. Look at me love" she heard Chris murmur. She ignored him and focused on her raging emotions. She trembled and her lightning swelled, and Chris's body jerked as he sucked in his breath in pain. Lindsey frowned at the movement and sound. She heard him swallow hard and then speak again.

"Lindsey, please, look at me. You have to stop this. You'll overload if you keep this up, and then you'll be no help" he said.

But it wasn't his words that made Lindsey raise her head and meet his eyes. It was the pain she heard in his voice that did it. Pain that _she_ was causing. She'd sworn when she first learnt to control her gifts that they would never end up hurting the people she loved. And yet, here she was, doing just that. Yes, she wanted her child back, but not at the cost of hurting her baby's father. She blinked and then blanched as she watched in horror, her lighting travelling from her skin to Chris's and Chris involuntarily jerking and hissing in pain. Without another thought, she closed her eyes, reached inside herself and called her magic back; shutting it away where it belonged so it wouldn't hurt anyone else. Chris sighed in relief as the lighting disappeared, leaving him pain free. Once Lindsey opened her eyes, he reached for her and she went into his arms willingly, burying her face against his chest.

"I promise you, we _will _find out where our child is and we will get it back. I won't rest until it's back where it belongs" Chris whispered as she clung to him. Lindsey sniffed and pulled back.

"But, how Chris? The Baynock Demons could be anywhere! We don't have anything of them or theirs to scry with and even if we did, it wouldn't work if they're in the Underworld!" she cried. Chris sighed and reached for her hand, jolting when Lindsey gave a soft cry of pain.

"You're hurt" he said as he frowned and pulled her arm forward, his eyes widening at what he saw. Her hand was bright and shiny red, blistered and very painful looking. He sucked in his breath as he realised that what he had felt earlier had been his girlfriend getting injured.

"Wyatt" he called and his brother was at their side instantly. He winced when he saw Lindsey's hand.

"Ouch, vanquish burn" he murmured as he smiled at Lindsey in reassurance. "Don't worry; it'll be gone in a jiffy."

Lindsey tiredly smiled her thanks, drained after the use of her weather magic and her emotional and magical outburst. After Wyatt had healed her, Piper coughed quietly and the three younger witches turned to face the older generation. Piper folded her arms, tapped her foot and raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, please kindly explain to those of us not in the know, exactly what just happened here?" she asked as her husband stood beside her in support.

~0~

Chris lay in bed, wide awake and staring up at the ceiling. This was getting to be a habit for him. What was unusual was the company he had in the ceiling gazing. Or in her case, wall gazing. Chris and Lindsey were in Chris's bed because Piper hadn't let Lindsey leave, but neither of them was sleeping. And not for the reason Chris wished they weren't either.

It had taken a lot to convince Lindsey to go to bed in the first place. If she'd her way, she would have spent all night scouring the city and the Underworld for any sign of the Baynock Demons. The only way he had gotten her to bed was by promising they would start the search first thing in the morning and also promising that he wouldn't leave her. Not that he would have anyway.

He sighed softly. His world had just flipped upside down once again. He'd just gotten used to the fact that he'd lost the chance to be a father and now suddenly, it was back again. His baby was out there somewhere. _Their_ baby was out there, lost and scared and alone. It didn't matter that it was barely bigger than a peanut at the moment, maybe not even that if it was its soul form, it was still alone and Chris was _not _going to leave it like that. Not his child. He would find it. He would find it and make Lindsey happy again if it was the last thing he did.

With that thought running through his mind, he turned over, put his arms around his bed companion and drew her to him. He tucked her into his side, scooted down and rested his forehead against hers. His hand came up to rest on her cheek and he stared into her Amethyst eyes as she looked back at him silently.

"Please try and get some sleep" he whispered and a small smile crossed her face.

"I could say the same thing about you" she whispered back and Chris sighed again. He moved his hand down to rest on her hip and closed his eyes, and they lay like that for a while before he slowly opened them again. Lindsey was still watching him, not even trying to shut down for the night.

"Chris?" she whispered and he raised his eyebrow to indicate he was listening. "If we find the baby-"

"When" Chris corrected. Lindsey smiled softly before continuing.

"_When_ we find the baby, you, ah, you're going to be a dad. Are you okay with that? I know you want a family, but we've only been together a short while, two days in fact, and a baby is a big responsibility" she said. Chris frowned.

"Of course I'm okay with that. I do want a family and while it's not happening the way I expected it to, I'm still very happy about it. And even if we weren't together, I would still be there for you and the baby Lindsey. I couldn't let it grow up without a father. A child needs both parents if at all possible, no matter if the parents are together or not" he assured her. He frowned again when he saw her sigh in relief.

"Don't ever doubt that I love this baby Lindsey. It's mine, so how can I not?" he said in a soft voice.

"Some people don't" Lindsey murmured.

"Well I'm not one of them" Chris answered firmly. "Now will you try and sleep? Please?"

She nodded slowly and Chris pulled her closer until her head was resting against his chest. He closed his eyes.

"Chris?" Lindsey whispered again and he pulled back to look at her with a slight frown.

"Lindsey, you need to sleep" he grumbled. She smiled again and lifted her hand to cup his cheek.

"I will. I just need to say this first" she said as she looked into his complaining eyes. "I'm really sorry I hurt you earlier." Chris frowned again.

"It's okay-" he started to say, only to be interrupted.

"No it's not" Lindsey said as she shook her head. "I shouldn't have lost control like that. I pride myself on my control, so that I don't hurt anyone, and then I go and hurt you. It isn't good enough. I couldn't even prevent myself from hurting you when the lightning wasn't even directed at you! I'm sorry and it won't happen again."

Chris sighed and met her eyes steadily. "Okay, so you won't do it again" he said and then he frowned in confusion. "You didn't hurt me when the lightning wasn't directed at me. What makes you think you did?"

Now it was Lindsey's turn to frown. "You shuddered like you were in pain and all you were doing was holding me" she said. Her frown deepened when Chris looked slightly uncomfortable.

"You didn't hurt me sweetheart. When you let your magic out like that, and it's evident in your voice and eyes and all around you, it sort of, ah… well to be honest it sort of turns me on" he said sheepishly. Lindsey's mouth fell open in surprise.

"Really?" she asked. Chris nodded. He closed his eyes and shuddered again as the image of Lindsey all powered up flashed through his mind. Once he'd opened his eyes again, he laughed at the pleased look on her face before he discreetly moved his hips away from her. Neither of them were ready for where it might lead if she found out _exactly_ how much her gifts made him want her. Especially considering they were already in bed together.

"You should know that already though" he said as he chuckled. "If the other Chris and I really are the same person like you keep insisting we are, he should have had the same reaction." Lindsey blinked.

"He probably would have, but I never had a reason for my power to break out back then" she mused. Chris rested his forehead back against hers again and sighed.

"The fact that you do now probably isn't a good thing" he murmured.

"Probably not. But that's okay. At least it gave me an advantage if I ever need one" Lindsey joked. Chris laughed and the both of them settled down to try and sleep, a little happier than they were when they went to bed.

~0~

A week passed and there was still no sign of the Baynock Demons, their leader Jonus or Chris and Lindsey's child. And it was slowly driving Lindsey insane. The longer a soul sat in a Vessel, the greater chance it would be extinguished and this information ran through her mind constantly. No other women were found and no matter how often Chris, Lindsey, Wyatt and the Charmed Ones searched the Underworld and the city, they just couldn't pick up the demons scent. It got to the stage where Lindsey was getting on average, about an hours sleep a night, and that was only because Chris was always with her. She was physically and emotionally exhausted and it showed.

She was in the attic, scrying for what felt like the thousandth time, and not finding anything, when Chris orbed in. Her welcoming smile died when she saw the scowl on his face. His beautiful green eyes were annoyed and she didn't know why. She stood up slowly.

"Did you find something?" she asked quickly and her face dropped when Chris shook his head. He huffed almost angrily at her reaction and Lindsey frowned at him

"What's wrong then?" she asked and blinked when Chris threw up his hands in frustration.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?! What's wrong is that you said you were going to go take a nap and I find you up here, scrying again! You need sleep Lindsey! Your face is so pale I can see the veins under your skin and you're losing weight like nobody's business! It's not healthy and I'm not going to stand for it anymore!" Lindsey's eyes narrowed.

"You're not going to stand for it anymore? Be careful Chris. I don't mind it when you call me yours but that doesn't mean that you can rule my life! If I want to scry, then I'll scry!" she growled. Chris shook his head.

"No, you won't. You won't find anything, so all you're doing is potentially making yourself sick! We're doing everything we can, using every source we have, to find Jonus and his demons and you running yourself into the ground isn't making things any easier for me! I have to split my focus and worry about you, when if you were being sensible, I could put all of my time and energy into finding our baby!"

Lindsey's expression froze and she turned away from him.

"You don't have to worry about me Chris. I can take care of myself" she said quietly. She gasped when Chris spun her back around.

"But you're not Lindsey! You're not taking care of yourself! And I do have to worry about you. I care about you a great deal and it's making me sick seeing you like this. Do you have any idea how scary it is when you stand up and I have to catch you to stop you from falling over?" Lindsey sighed and leaned forward to rest her forehead on his shoulder.

"I need to find him Chris" she murmured. She had no idea why she was referring to the baby as 'him'. It just felt right. She looked up when Chris put a finger under her chin and raised it gently.

"And we will. I promised you I would find him Lindsey, and I won't break that promise. But you need to be healthy for when I do. You need a decent meal and you need to sleep. Please don't make me use a potion on you."

Lindsey's went still and her eyes narrowed again. "You wouldn't."

"I would if it means you get the sleep you need' he said firmly and he sighed when Lindsey lurched away from him.

"I'll only do it if you continue going down the path you're on now. So you have a choice. You can go take a nap like you said you were going to do, or you can just take some time out. Spend a little time away from all this and do something normal."

Lindsey stared at him for a long moment and then ran her hand through her hair. "I couldn't sleep anyway" she said, her voice just a little too calm. Recognizing this, Chris grimaced.

"So something normal then" he said softly. Lindsey nodded and headed for the door. She stopped and jerked her shoulder away when she felt Chris's hand on it.

"Please don't touch me at the moment" she said quietly. "I may just slap you and I don't want to do that until there's some power behind it." She turned away again, but not before she saw a small smile cross Chris's face.

"I really am doing this for your own good, you know" he called after her and Lindsey turned at the door.

"I would have thought doing something for my own good, not to mention yours, would be finding our baby, but I see that our opinion on what matters most differs in that regard" she said and then escaped with Chris's shocked intake of breath echoing behind her.

~0~

She was walking down the stairs towards the foyer, trying not to think of the hurt in Chris's eyes after she'd accused him or not caring about their baby as much as she did, when blue and white orbs appeared and Tammy arrived. Lindsey shook her head and frowned. No, hold on, that wasn't Tammy. That was Kat. The two were so identical that unless they spoke, the only way Lindsey could tell them apart was because Kat wore her dark brown hair shorter then Tammy. The curls came to just below her ears, while Tammy's fell over her shoulders. She smiled at the one half of the twins she really didn't know all that well.

"Hey" she called as she continued into the foyer. Kat turned and smiled back.

"Hey yourself" she said and then frowned. "You look like crap."

Lindsey gave a short burst of laughter. That was the other way to tell the two apart. Kat was a lot blunter then Tammy was.

"Thanks" she said dryly and Kat grinned. "What are you doing here?"

"Just came to pick up Penny's computer. She left it here and she absolutely _has_ to have it. She won't stop moaning about it and it's driving me batty" Kat answered as she rolled her eyes. Lindsey grinned at her. Thank god she wasn't thirteen anymore. She wouldn't be able to handle the drama.

"So you're babysitting then?' she asked as Kat picked up something about the size of a watch. Kat nodded.

"Yeah, her and Henry Jnr while their parents search for… ah" she said with a wince as she turned back to Lindsey. "Sorry. I really am trying to be more sensitive." Lindsey chuckled softly.

"That's okay. So if you're here, whose with Penny and Henry?" she asked, slightly worried that she'd left them on their own. Kat smiled to reassure her.

"Parker's with them. She's sixteen, so she's fine to look out for them for a few minutes. Not that she's happy about it" she said with a chuckle. "She wants nothing to do with her younger relations."

"Well, I guess it would be hard to be stuck right in the middle of two separate age groups" Lindsey said with a smile and Kat nodded in agreement.

"Well I better go" she said and began to orb away, only to stop when Lindsey called her name as something occurred to her. Chris wanted her to do something normal? What was more normal then babysitting people she considered family? Plus it would allow her to get to know Kat better.

"Do you want some company?" she asked her and Kat looked surprised and then pleased.

"Sure, if you're willing to put up with the daily lives of a sixteen, thirteen and twelve year old" she said with a grin.

Lindsey grinned back and nodded and she was just taking Kat's arm when Chris came down the stairs.

"Hey cuz, we were just…" Lindsey heard Kat trail off as she and Chris stared at each other.

"Riiight. Awkward" the girl mumbled just before Chris spoke.

"Where are you going?" he asked quietly, his expression closed. Lindsey looked away from him.

"To help Kat look after Penelope and Henry Jnr. It's about as normal as you can get" she said softly. Chris nodded.

"Call me when you want a lift home" he said and Lindsey's eyes flicked to him and then away again.

"I think Kat can handle that" she said and Chris's expression shuttered further. She turned to the other girl, who seemed to be finding the grandfather clock very interesting at the moment.

"Shall we go?" she asked. With a final look at her cousin, who she could clearly see was hurting; Kat nodded and orbed them to her Aunt Phoebe's and Uncle Coop's condo.

~0~

"So what's with you and Chris?" Kat asked as soon they appeared in the living room and she'd given a very ecstatic Penelope her computer. "I thought the two of you were a pair of cooing lovebirds? At least that's what Tammy told me." Lindsey sighed.

"We just had a fight, that's all" she said. Kat scoffed.

"Must have been a hell of a boomer. Chris looked like you'd kicked him in the nuts" she said and then cringed again when Lindsey just looked at her.

"Sorry. I really am trying to tone myself down a bit. Andrew says that if I keep not thinking before I speak, we won't have anyone to invite to the wedding."

Lindsey snorted quietly and then sighed again. "We both may have said some things we didn't mean. More so on my part I guess. I don't really want to talk about it" she said.

Whatever Kat was going to say was interrupted by the pounding of running feet. Lindsey looked up and grinned as Henry and Penny dragged their older cousin and sister into the room.

"I said let me go guys! I'm not in the mood for this!" Parker yelled. When the two tweens ignored her, she flicked her fingers and teleported them away from her.

"Parker! Do not use your powers against family!" Kat barked. Parker looked up and scowled.

"I didn't hurt them" she muttered as she nodded towards the boy and girl she'd deposited on the sofa.

"That doesn't matter! They don't have active powers yet, so it isn't a fair fight! How many times do you have to be told that?" Kat asked her younger cousin. Parker glared.

"Just because you're getting married _Kitty Kat_, doesn't mean you have the right to act like my mother!" she hissed before spinning on her heels and flouncing out of the room. Lindsey grinned again as Kat groaned.

"God I hate that name" she muttered.

"And that's why she uses it" Lindsey said, her grin widening. Kat laughed.

"True. Okay guys, wanna play a board game?" she asked as she turned towards the two who were still occupying the sofa. Henry groaned.

"Noooo! Please, not a board game! Let's play a video game instead!" he cried and when Penny began to cheer enthusiastically, Kat looked at Lindsey.

"Interested?" she asked. Lindsey shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" she said and they sat down to get their asses kicked by a couple of kids.

~0~

Lindsey enjoyed her time with the youngest Halliwells. Both Penny and Henry had a way of making her laugh at everything they said. And once Parker got over her snit, Lindsey found that she had a dry sense of wit and a rather sarcastic humour, which Lindsey appreciated. The teenager reminded her a lot of the past Chris. Thinking of that reminded Lindsey of their fight, which made her heart hurt, so she put it out of her mind and concentrated on getting to know Kat, Parker, Penny and Henry.

A couple of hours later, Lindsey was just thinking about heading home when everything turned on its head. Out of nowhere, ten demons shimmered in, all with red eyes. Kat and Lindsey sat in shock for half a second before Kat lunged at Penny and Henry, narrowly avoiding a fireball.

"Parker! Get the sisters, Wyatt and Chris! Now!" she shouted as she dragged her trembling brother and cousin behind the sofa. Parker gulped, her eyes wide with fear, before she nodded and hearted out.

Lindsey sprung to her feet, flung out her hand and a hurricane-like gust of wind threw three demons across the room. Kat jumped over the sofa and began blowing up every demon she could see. Using the ever-burning candles decorating the windowsill, Lindsey set a couple more demons on fire. She jumped back and rolled to avoid a fireball and the ground split open to swallow the demon who had thrown it at her. She was just getting up to attack again when she felt a sharp prick in the side of her neck.

"Don't move, or you'll find yourself in the in the afterlife quicker than you can blink" a voice hissed in her ear. She slowly got to her feet, her eyes flicking to Kat just in time to see her cop a fireball in the leg. It crumbled underneath her, and she fell, smacking her head on the side of the coffee table in the process. Lindsey blanched at the blood flowing from the cut. She grunted as her arm was jerked roughly, spinning her around, the knife still very much in place. Her eyes opened wide when she saw her attacker.

"Bianca?" she gasped and the phoenix smirked.

"You hadn't thought I'd forgotten about you, had you?" she sneered. "Come one. There's someone who _really _wants to meet you."

The last thing Lindsey saw before a bright star-burst of pain exploded in her head when Bianca flipped the knife around and smacked her with the handle, was a red-eyed demon picking up an unconscious Kat. And then nothing.


	21. Snatched

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Riley and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Twenty One – Snatched

_The last thing Lindsey saw before a bright star-burst of pain exploded in her head when Bianca flipped the knife around and smacked her with the handle, was a red-eyed demon picking up an unconscious Kat. And then nothing. _

Chris flipped through the Book almost desperately, his expression becoming darker and darker the closer he got to the end of it. When he'd closed the back cover for about the tenth time, he snarled and roughly shoved the Book off its stand as his temper got the better of him. It hit the floor with a bang and he ignored the way he instantly felt guilty for treating something so steeped in family history and heritage in such a way. He groaned as his elbows came to rest on the stand and he covered his face with his hands. There was nothing in the Book. _Nothing._ The only thing in there was the original entry about the Baynock Demons. It was scary and maddening and _frustrating!_ Why couldn't they find them? Why couldn't they find a small group of lower level demons? Jesus Christ. His mother and aunts were the Charmed Ones and his brother was the Twice Blessed for god's sake! It should have been simple to find a particular group of demons, but it wasn't, and that fact was tearing Chris apart.

He sighed as he stood back up, reached down to pick up the Book and put it back where it belonged. Treating the Book of Shadows like a spare bit of paper wouldn't get his child back to him any quicker. Nor would it get him and Lindsey back on even footing. He grimaced as that thought ran through his mind. Lindsey. He folded his lips in agitation. He could not believe she'd accused him of what she had. He also couldn't believe how much it had hurt. Even finding Bianca in bed with someone else hadn't hurt as much those couple of sentences had.

He walked over to the sofa, sat down, leaned back and scrubbed his face hard. God he was tired. Lindsey wasn't the only one who wasn't getting much sleep. And to think that she thought he didn't care as much as she did. He scowled. Like hell, he didn't! His child was missing! His _child! _Sure, he'd been shocked when he'd first found out about the baby, but once that had passed, he'd been thrilled and had loved it instantly. He'd also then been upset and disappointed when he'd found out it was gone. It was a rather vast array of emotions to go through in a very short amount of time. And just because he was trying to get some sleep and a substantial meal every once in a while, didn't mean that he didn't care! And he'd tell her that as soon as she got home!

He blew out his breath and closed his eyes. She'd been gone for just under two hours and he'd been twitchy for every second of it. It was like something was missing. Whenever his mind turned to their fight – which was often – there was a burning somewhere in the centre of his chest, and that didn't sit well with him. He really wanted her home and he really wanted to get everything sorted out with her. Which he'd do the second she called him. He sighed again. If she called him. She was stubborn and pretty pissed at him at the moment. He frowned. Well he was stubborn as well and he wasn't going to apologize for looking out for her! He was her Whitelighter, that was what he was meant to do!

_That's not the only reason… _a small voice began to sing in the back of his mind. He frowned at it. Of course it wasn't the only reason! He liked her! A lot! She made him happy and he found he really enjoyed waking up in the morning with her.

_You like her? Are you sure that's all? _the same voice asked. Chris's frown deepened and he shook his head. No. It was too early for that. They'd only been together for a week! He liked her and he cared about her but anything more would take time to develop.

_Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. _He scowled at the voice. It had no idea what it was talking about. He then shook his head at the way he was humanising his own thoughts. Pushing the annoying voice to the back of his mind, he stood up and headed for the crystal and map. He wasn't as exhausted as his girlfriend had been, so maybe he would pick up on something. God, they had to find something soon! He didn't know how much longer he could handle the worry and stress. And he hated failing Lindsey. His face set in determination as he sat down beside the small table. He would not fail her and he would not break his promise. He would find their baby and get it back to its family.

He'd just picked up the crystal and begun to swing it when he brother, mother and aunts orbed in. He looked up eagerly and his shoulders slumped when Wyatt shook his head. He looked up again when Phoebe stepped over, crouched down and hugged his shoulders.

"Don't lose hope sweetie. We'll find the baby. We just need one thing to go our way and then everything will fall into place. You and Lindsey will have your son or daughter back and you'll be able to find out first-hand what it's like to be a parent" she said with an encouraging smile.

"Yeah, you'll love all those sleepless nights and dirty diapers, not to mention the teenage years" Paige teased him. As Piper smacked her arm, Chris gave them a ghost of smile.

"Don't scare the boy, Paige! My son will be able to handle all those things, especially with Lindsey by his side" Piper told her sister as she folded her arms and gave her a pointed look. Paige shrugged.

"Course he will. He'll be a great dad" she said and Chris smiled again. "Speaking of Lindsey, where is she? Finally got her to go to bed, did you?" Chris focused his gaze back on the map.

"She's with Kat at the condo, helping babysit Penny and Henry" he said coolly. Wyatt's eyebrows raised as the Charmed Ones exchanged a glance.

"Uh oh. That doesn't sound good" Paige said and Phoebe squeezed his shoulders again.

"Did something happen?" Piper asked him in concern. Chris sighed and put the crystal down. It wasn't working anyway. He turned to his family.

"We had a fight" he said quietly. Phoebe hummed sympathetically.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No. Yes. God, I was only trying to help!" Chris burst out in frustration as he reached to tug at his hair. "I only wanted her to get some sleep! Is that too much to ask? That she be healthy? That she doesn't sway on her feet every time she stands up too quickly? I would have thought she would like that I care about her enough to make sure that she's okay! But, nooooo. She throws it back in my face! And come on, I wasn't going to do it! She was doing what I asked, so I had no reason to do it! She had no right to say what she did!"

The room was silent for half a second after his outburst before Paige grinned.

"Yup, he wanted to talk about it alright" she said. Chris looked sheepish.

"Sorry" he mumbled and Phoebe rubbed his shoulders.

"Okay, so what did you do that she didn't like, and what did she say that you didn't like?" Piper asked as she took his hand, drew him up off the floor and towards the sofa, sitting down beside him. Chris frowned at his hands.

"Not much. I might have, ah, maybe… I might have threatened to use a potion on her to get her to sleep" he said in a rush. Wyatt groaned.

"Okay, even I know that that was a really bad idea, and I've been single for a few years" he said as he shook his head. Chris scowled further.

"Yeah, well, she wasn't listening to me!" he defended.

"Doesn't mean you should have given her an ultimatum dude" Paige said as she rolled her eyes. "It's no wonder she said something that got your goat." Chris grimaced and swallowed and Piper frowned at the pain that ran through his eyes. Her own narrowed.

"What exactly did she say?" she asked slowly. Chris shook his head.

"That part's really between her and me. I need to talk to her about it first" he said and then smiled softly as his mother continued to watch him as if she trying to figure out whether she needed to hurt the person who had hurt her baby. "Don't worry about it, Mom. It'll get it sorted out. I'll make sure of it. So what are you doing here anyway?" he asked as he sat forward and looked around in question.

"Just coming back to get something to eat" Wyatt said. "We'll go back as soon as… What is it?"

Chris ignored him as his Whitelighter senses began to tingle and he slowly got to his feet. He frowned and cocked his head, trying to pin down what the problem was.

"Chris?"

"Something's wrong" he murmured. He suddenly hissed and sucked in his breath in shock as the tingle burst into a blaringly loud alarm.

"Lindsey" he whispered fearfully and across the room, Paige said her children's names in the same tone. They were just about to orb out when Parker hearted in with a frantic expression on her face. Phoebe sprang towards her.

"Honey, what's wrong?!" she cried as she tried to take her daughter into her arms. Parker shook her head desperately.

"No, no, you have to come! There are demons everywhere! Kat and Lindsey are fighting, but I'm not sure how long they can hold them off!" she shouted. Panicked gasped filled the room and as one, they all took off to defend their family.

~0~

The living room was a disaster zone when Chris orbed in, the others not far behind him. The sofa was tipped over, there was a crack in the floor, burn and scorch marks littered the place and darker marks were evident where demons had been vanquished. There was also a dark red stain on the carpet, and Chris's heart began to pound when he realised it was blood. He frantically searched the room for any sign of his girlfriend and cousins, and his pounding heart seemed to stop in its tracks when he didn't find any evidence of them at all. He turned suddenly when he heard a whimper and felt a small trickle of relief when Penny poked her head above the sofa fearfully. She yelped in joy when she saw them.

"Mommy!" she cried as she jumped to her feet, tears pouring down her face, and ran into her mother's arms, Henry doing the same with Paige. The two sisters hugged their children tightly before Phoebe stepped back and brushed Penny's hair off her wet cheeks.

"What happened honey? Where are Kat and Lindsey?" she asked gently. Penny shook her head and buried it back in her mother's chest.

"Bianca and the demons took them" Henry said as he pulled out of his mother's hold and wiped his own cheeks. Chris spun round to gape at him.

"What did you just say?" he demanded loudly and Henry jumped slightly in fright. Paige turned to scowl at him.

"Chris! Watch your tone!" she reprimanded before turning back to her son. "Bianca, baby? It can't have been her. Maybe you just thought you saw her. Think back and think hard. Who really took your sister?" she asked urgently. Henry frowned up at her and went to answer but Penny stepped away from Phoebe and beat him to it.

"No, it _was _Bianca! I saw her too! The demons appeared and Kat hid us behind the sofa and told Parker to go get help. Kat and Lindsey were fighting and Bianca shimmered in and put a knife to Lindsey's neck. Then the one of the red-eyed demons hit Kat in the leg with a fireball and she fell and hit her head on the coffee table! He picked her up and Bianca hit Lindsey over the head with the handle of the knife and then they took them both!" she explained.

As her words seeped into his brain, Chris slowly sunk to the floor and put his head in his hands. Jesus. Jesus Christ. Bianca? Bianca was the one who'd made a deal with Jonus and took his child? And now she's kidnapped his girlfriend and cousin and put them in an unimaginable amount of danger. Son of a bitch. How? How could she possibly do this? Didn't she care about him at all? Didn't their five years together mean anything to her? He barely registered the hand that came to rest on his shoulder.

"Don't worry brother, I promise you we'll find them" Wyatt told him quietly. Chris looked at him.

"I made Lindsey the same promise and look where that got her" he said in a soft voice before he left his family behind to fret, brood and begin his hunt in private.

~0~

There was a jackhammer being drilled into Lindsey's head. Ten jackhammers. Ten jackhammers being used by ten big, burly men who were all jumping up and down in the process. She groaned as she turned over, trying to escape the blinding pain in her head, and cracked open her eyes. Only to close them again very quickly as the dim light nearly made them explode.

"Oh no sugar, none of that. Open them again. Come on now, you know want to. How else are we supposed to get out of this lovely little hellhole, hmm?"

Lindsey frowned as the southern twang broke through the haze of pain from her head. She slowly turned her face in the direction of the voice, blinked open her eyes and squinted up at the person who seemed to be chained to the wall. The person – girl – grinned at her.

"There you go. Well, hey there. Good to see you back in the land of the livin" she said. Lindsey opened her eyes wider to take her in.

A short cap of white blond hair curled around the girls' ears and through the bruises and swelling, Lindsey could just tell that her eyes were aquamarine blue-green. She guessed that standing up, she would've been about 5 ft. 6 and that her frame would be willowy and lean. She also guessed that if her face hadn't been seriously messed up, any guy would have called her cute. Lindsey slowly pulled herself into a sitting position and groaned when her head protested. The girl winced sympathetically.

"Ah huh, that'll hurt for a while I'm guessin. Ya'll were bought in together and neither of you were in great shape" she said as she nodded over to the corner. Lindsey looked in that direction as well and her eyes widened when she saw Kat sprawled out on the floor, still unconscious. She hurriedly tried to get to her feet, only to fall back down again as the room spun.

"Whoa, hold your horses there sugar! I wouldn't be gettin up just yet" the girl said as Lindsey lowered herself back down. She blinked at her gingerly.

"Probably not a good idea" she agreed in a raspy voice. The girl nodded.

"Your friend will be fine. She just needs to sleep it off like you did" she tried to assure her. Lindsey sighed and looked at Kat again before turning back to the prisoner.

"I hope so. What's your name?" she asked and the girl smiled.

"Well I'm Riley. Riley Calhoun. And you are?" she asked. Lindsey smiled back at her painfully.

"Lindsey Ludlow."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lindsey Ludlow. I would shake your hand but I'm just a dash tied up here at the moment" Riley said with a rueful grin as she shook her chained arm. Lindsey blinked and gave a little laugh.

"That you are. You seem pretty cheery for being in this situation" she said as her hand went to her head. Riley shrugged.

"Well I'm a glass half full person sugar. Always gotta look on the bright side of life" she said. Lindsey sighed.

"I wish I was more like that" she murmured as she looked over at Kat once again and very slowly got to her feet. Riley frowned as she swayed and then settled herself.

"Seems to me that you've got enough stubbornness to make up for it" she muttered as Lindsey carefully made her way over to the twin, dropping to the ground as soon as she was close enough to turn the girl over.

"I have to check if she's okay. She took a fireball to the leg as well as hitting her head pretty hard" she explained as she inspected Kat's wounds. They looked rather horrendous but Lindsey knew from experience that most wounds weren't as bad as they looked. She sighed slightly in relief when she saw how superficial the leg wound actually was. It had stopped bleeding and the burn didn't look like it went very deep. The fireball must have only just caught her leg.

Checking Kat's head wound was another story. It was still steadily bleeding and the cut looked deep enough to require stitches. Or Wyatt's healing power. Either one would be good at the moment, though she would have preferred Wyatt. That way him and Chris would be able to get them the hell out of here. Because until Kat woke up and maybe not even then if she had a concussion, it didn't look like they were going anywhere. She sighed again and pulled Kat's head onto her lap so that she could press her sleeve to the wound. It probably wouldn't do much, but it was better than nothing. She looked over at the girl chained to the wall curiously.

"How long have you been here?" she asked and Riley frowned in thought.

"You know, I'm not really sure. A long while anyway. There were other girls here with me when I first woke up, but those red-eyed servants of Hades took them all a ways back. Y'all are the first human contact I've had in since the last one went" she said. Lindsey frowned and nodded.

"How'd you get captured?" she asked.

"Well there's a story. I was strollin down the street on my way home from work, mindin my own business, when this demon grabs me from behind and shimmers me here. They just dumped me in this room and never told me why I'm here, only showin up to feed and water me, so I decided to stroll on back out again. That's when they treated my face like putty and chained me up to this here wall. Haven't had a chance to escape since, though I was hopin you could help me out there" she said with a anticipative expression. Lindsey grimaced.

"If Kat was awake, she could blow your chains up and then orb us out of here. But unfortunately she isn't and my powers aren't much help in this situation. The best I could do would be to vanquish a few demons" she said. Riley's face dropped for a second before she brightened again.

"Well y'all have family and friends looking for you right?" she asked. Lindsey frowned.

"Yeah we do, but I'm guessing that we're in the Underworld and not even a Whitelighter can hear his charge if they're stuck here" she said. "What about you? Won't your family be looking for you?" Riley shook her head.

"As far as they know, I'm still happy as a clam living the good life in San Francisco. I moved here from Tennessee on my lonesome two years ago and stuck mostly to studyin so didn't make many close friends. I'd be surprised if anyone was even realised I'm missin" she said. Lindsey blinked.

"That's not true. Your Whitelighter definitely noticed and reported it to the Elders. The Charmed Ones and their sons have been looking for you and the other missing witches for a while now. And I'm sure someone in the city realised you were gone. You're trying to have a baby, right?" Riley frowned and nodded.

"I am. How'd you know that?"

"All of the missing witches were. The leader of this band has s-stolen…" she cleared her throat and steadied herself. Riley watched her curiously but didn't say anything. "He's stolen a powerful soul and wants to raise it evil. To do that he needs an incubator" Lindsey explained. "So your boyfriend must have noticed. Or husband or whatever." Riley grimaced.

"I don't have a boyfriend or husband or whatever. I really want to be a momma and I figured I'm not gettin any younger, so why wait? Those donor little swimmers sure can come in handy. Nothin's taken yet, but it will. I know it will" she said quietly. Lindsey blinked in surprise before smiling.

"Well good for you. Why wait for a man when you can do it yourself?" she said. _Though it would be really nice if my own man showed up right about now. Where are you Chris? _Riley grinned.

"That's what I was thinkin" she said and Lindsey nodded.

"Okay, so we need to concentrate on getting us all out of here" she said. "If we did manage to get you out of those chains, are you able to do some vanquishing?"

Riley grinned again. "Sure can sugar. Maybe not traditionally but I can sure bite a few heads and limbs off." She laughed softly when Lindsey looked puzzled. "I'm a shapeshifter and I mainly turn into animals who can rip and tear. Wolves and big cats are a favourite of mine. I would have been out of these chains the second they put them on, but they've been cursed and every time I try to shift, they shrink. Don't really want my hands and feet chopped off" she said merrily. Lindsey huffed in frustration.

"We have to think of something-" she started to say, only to be interrupted by someone shimmering in. She went still when she saw who it was. She lifted Kat's head off her lap and very slowly got to her feet.

"You" she hissed and Bianca smirked at her.

"Enjoying your humble abode?" she asked innocently and let out a cruel laugh when Lindsey snarled. She stepped towards the younger witch, only to stop when the dusty ground began to quake. She scowled, changed direction and grabbed Riley by the hair, jerking her head up to hold a dagger to her throat.

"Don't even think about it, or I will coat the floor with her blood" she with narrowed eyes. "I don't care if she lives or not, but I'm positive you do."

Trembles ran through Lindsey's frame as she struggled to get control of herself. After a long moment, she succeeded and opened her eyes to glare at Bianca, her anger and hate shining in them. Bianca smirked again and let Riley go.

"That's better. Now come quietly or this one and Chris's little cousin won't get to see tomorrow" she said. Lindsey ignored her.

"Where is my baby?" she asked in a voice trembling with fury. Riley's head came up as Bianca laughed.

"That thing? You don't think you're ever getting it back, do you? That abomination is out of your reach, or soon will be when Jonus has his way. You're never going to see it again, so stop acting like a pathetic, whiny little pussy and get your ass into gear. We don't have much time."

It was the last straw. Bianca had done everything in her power to destroy Lindsey's life and her now confirming that she'd stolen her child was just too much. Since she couldn't use her powers against her, she did the next best thing. As Riley began to struggle against her bonds, Lindsey shrieked in fury and lunged at the phoenix.

They landed on the floor hard, Lindsey on top of Bianca, the dagger going flying. What resulted between them was a fight for their lives. Lindsey had no qualms in killing Bianca, not after what she'd just admitted to doing. Teeth and nails were used frequently as they rolled around and around on the ground, neither able to gain the upper hand. Lindsey grunted and bared her teeth as she took a significant blow to her stomach before she went for Bianca's kidneys and other pressure points, balling her fists and punching as hard as she could. She smirked and triumph rushed through her when one of her fists slammed into Bianca's throat, cutting off her airway. Her hands found their way around the phoenix's neck, and she began to squeeze as hard as she could to help what her punch had started, not noticing the way Bianca's hand searched desperately for her dagger.

"Lindsey, look out!"

Riley's warning shout echoed through the cave, but it wasn't quick enough and Lindsey gasped and choked as an incredibly sharp, intense agony stabbed through her. She let go of Bianca and stared in horror at the dagger sticking out the side of her stomach. The pain was horrific and as the blood poured continuously from the wound, she forgot about Bianca and concentrated on trying to breathe and staying conscious. She didn't even see the fist aiming for her face until the blow knocked her off her enemy and onto the ground, driving the dagger further into her side. She screamed as the piercing pain ripped through her, her hands automatically going to her side. It felt like she was dripping them in a shallow pool of water. She blinked and swallowed hard, tremors beginning to run through her as she went into shock.

She mewed as her head was suddenly jerked roughly up, little pinpricks of pain prickling her skull as her hair was tugged hard. She blinked at Bianca, her vision wavering.

"Well, would you look at that, the rituals already half begun" Bianca whispered roughly with a pained smirk. "Now don't you die on me, bitch. Trust me, that part will come soon, but not quite yet. You've got a part to play first" she said.

Lindsey blinked dizzily as Riley began to yell and the walls of the cave seemed to blur together. Suddenly she was somewhere else. It was a danker looking cave then the one they'd been in, with a stone alter in the centre of it and an hourglass shaped bottle sitting on the alter. Lindsey's gaze locked on the bottle and she didn't even register the demon who appeared out of nowhere. Even through her whole body was screaming with agony, she could still sense the life force, and what was left of her concentration was entirely focused on the very dull golden glow coming from the bottle.


	22. The unforseen

Future Consequences

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Riley and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Twenty Two – The unforeseen

_Even through her whole body was screaming with agony, she could still sense the life force, and what was left of her concentration was entirely focused on the very dull golden glow coming from the bottle. _

With her blurring sight still glued to the bottle, Lindsey wasn't paying all that much attention to her surroundings or more importantly, to her kidnappers. So it came as bit of a shock when she was suddenly jerked into an upright position by her hair. The movement jarred the dagger in her side and the white-hot pain pouring through her amped up a notch, drawing out a strangled moan. Her eyes left the bottle and she finally focused on the demon who was coming towards her with an ugly expression on his face. He ran his red eyes over her, looked at Bianca and snarled.

"What have you done? She's damaged! How am I supposed to use her now?" he hissed in fury.

"It's not that bad! She was attacking me so I didn't have a choice! I just started the process for you, that's all!" Bianca huffed and Lindsey could almost hear the pout in her voice. The demon, who Lindsey was slowly beginning to realise was Jonus, the leader of the Baynock Demons, scoffed angrily.

"Not that bad?! You stupid bitch! I can almost see the dagger sticking out the other side of her! Even if you have started the process of removal, I couldn't use her womb now anyway! That dagger will have cut it to pieces!" He turned away and began to pace in agitation. "This has just been one big fuckup after another! I finally have a real chance of ruling the Underworld, and then I can't make a witch work with that infuriatingly pure soul! And when I do figure out a way to make it work, I foolishly rely on a witch to put my plan in motion, and she buggers it up! Well maybe" he said as she spun back round to glare at Bianca, "maybe I need to take her out of the equation altogether!"

Lindsey blinked slowly at the red hued energy ball that suddenly appeared in his hand. Energy ball? Hadn't the other Baynock's used fireballs?

_He's the leader, making him the strongest, so he's able to use energy balls instead of just lower level fireballs _a voice whispered in the back of her mind. Lindsey frowned at it. That wasn't her inner voice. She was sure of it. It had sounded a lot like… blood lose really must be getting to her, just like it had in the alley, if she was imagining _his_ voice in her head.

She blinked and frowned again when she felt a crackling beside her. She slowly turned her head and her vision faded in and out until she eventually realised that Bianca had formed an energy ball as well, a normal blue coloured one. The blue shined and expanded in her vision, until it coated almost everything she was seeing. She smiled vaguely. Pretty colours. She blinked again and the blue turned to black, sunk back and then began to creep along the edges of her sight. She frowned again, shook her head to try to clear the darkness away, but stopped very quickly when everything began to swirl like a vortex. She focused her gaze on Bianca to try to anchor herself, and realised that the phoenix was speaking. She narrowed her eyes at her and sound suddenly sprang to life.

"… could vanquish you just as easily as you could me! But why should we? You still have two witches to try in the other room and one of them is a Halliwell so she has the best chance of carrying the soul next to this one" Bianca said as she gave Lindsey a shake.

The witch she was holding whimpered involuntarily as agony shot through her again. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe through it, finding it difficult to do, even after the pain had faded slightly. The shivers running through her body were making it very hard to draw in a steady amount of air. It kept catching on the way down, making her lungs burn.

"So you don't want me to use her now? What happened to taking her out of the picture?" Jonus asked as he narrowed his eyes at Bianca, who shrugged.

"Look at her. She's not going to last much longer, and we're in the Underworld, so there's no chance of Wyatt Halliwell healing her. She's already basically out of the picture anyway. Now don't you think you better get the other two in here? That soul isn't going to last very much longer either" she said. Jonus stared at her before he extinguished his energy ball and nodded at a demon standing in the shadows.

The crackling beside Lindsey's head disappeared as well and she gasped in surprise when she suddenly found herself flying forward. She landed hard on her stomach, wheezed out a whine-like moan and began choking, bile rising to fill her mouth as her insides seemed to explode and fragment, and her vision swarmed with blackness.

_Oh God, oh God, please make it stop! _she whimpered in her mind as the agonizing, heart-stopping pain pulsed through her. She curled up around herself as she tried to keep her insides together, panting as the pain slowly died down to a constant slow-burning throb. She began to shiver again and suddenly felt some type of liquid run down the side of her face. Was it raining in here? Why was it raining in here?

_Your temperature in up because infection is setting in. It's not raining. You're sweating. Just hold on my love. _Who was that? It can't have been Chris. He didn't love her and he wasn't here. Was he? She blinked open her eyes again and blearily searched the room. No, he wasn't here. So why did it sound like him? The old him? Her thoughts faded away as a heavy fog began to fill her mind. She slowly closed her eyes again. God, she was tired. She just wanted to sleep. It took everything she had to open her eyes when someone began shouting her name. Everything seemed to be moving from left to right, but she did manage to figure out who had called her. Four demons were standing beside the alter, holding Riley and a now conscious Kat between them. It had been Kat who had yelled her name. The twin was staring at her in horror. Lindsey tried to smile to reassure her, but even that was too much effort. She closed her eyes once more.

They suddenly sprang open again and a blood-curdling scream echoed off the cave's walls and ceiling, as a hand suddenly gripped the handle of the dagger and jerked in out of her roughly, twisting it in the process. Lindsey gasped and choked, her screams becoming moans and whimpers as wave upon wave of agony washed over her. It was fiery and spitting and it spread through her whole system until it collated in her eyes, spreading over her vision and turning it white… and then black. Lindsey didn't even try to stay conscious. She'd do anything to escape this torture and she welcomed the endless darkness gratefully.

~0~

She wasn't sure when she became aware again. There wasn't much difference between the black hole she had sunk into and the real world. Everything was hazy, with gloomy shadows swimming around the edges. The only major difference was that she wasn't in pain anymore. Instead she felt… warm? Yes, warm and floaty and so very tired. She squinted through her half closed eyes and frowned in confusion when nothing made sense to her. Why was there a lion in the cave? The lion seemed to be having the time of its life, using teeth and claws to cut through the demon population that filled her prison. Lindsey's eyes slowly moved around the room, her gaze pausing on Kat who was blowing up demon after demon. She seemed to be trying to head in her direction.

_I have to help them_ she thought vaguely as she tried to blink away the spreading blackness in her vision.

_You have to rest and survive. Don't worry about them Lindsey. They're holding their own. You just concentrate on staying alive until Chris gets here._ Chris? He was here already. He was in her head again.

_The other me. He'll be here soon. Just hold on until then._ When had her inner voice turned into Chris? It didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. She just wanted to sleep. She was just closing her eyes again when something caught her fading attention. Bianca was standing over by the alter, out of the line of fire. Lindsey blinked as the phoenix picked up the bottle sitting on the alter and began making her way around the walls of the cave until she got to the entrance. She slipped out and disappeared with the bottle in her hand. Lindsey frowned. No. No. That can't happen. She can't get away. She tried in vain to get up and go after her, not succeeding in moving an inch. Her body was so heavy. She was heavy and floaty at the same time. She giggled and then frowned again. Why was she giggling? She didn't giggle! The thought drifted away and her eyes closed once again. Time passed and all she did was float.

Her eyes stayed closed until her something eventually got through to her. It was her name, being frantically spoken over and over again. She wasn't able to open them far, as they were too heavy, but she did open her eyes enough to recognize the person crouching beside her. She smiled softly.

"Chris" she whispered as she found just enough strength to lift her hand to his cheek. "You came."

"Of course I did! Now don't move. We need to get you to Wyatt immediately" he said as he ran his eyes anxiously over her. Lindsey frowned.

"Kat" she whispered and Chris shook his head.

"Don't worry about her. She vanquished Jonus and went after the last of the Baynock Demons. They don't stand a chance. She'll be fine." Lindsey continued to frown.

"Riley" she croaked.

"Right here sugar" a voice said and Lindsey slowly turned her heavy head. The Southern Belle was crouched down on the other side of her, smiling softly. Lindsey's frown turned into a scowl as she managed to register what she was wearing.

"Why… are you wearing… my boyfriend's shirt?" she whispered in short, sharp bursts as she tried to get her point across. Riley laughed.

"Don't worry your pretty little head about that, sugar. When I shift to animal, my clothes don't shift with me. Your boyfriend was gentlemanly enough to lend me his shirt to save my modesty" she said. Lindsey turned her head again and saw that Chris was just in his undershirt. She smiled at him, but Chris wasn't paying attention. He was staring at her wound, his face pale. He scowled and turned back to her.

"Okay, enough chitchat, we really have to get you home" he said. He took her hand and Lindsey's brow furrowed. She was forgetting something.

Through the fog, an image emerged and she blinked slowly and frowned again as her mind managed to focus. Her hand tightened on Chris's.

"Bianca" she whispered in realization. Chris growled.

"We'll get her later" he said. "We need to get you healed now." Lindsey tightened her grip.

"No. Bianca. Bianca… has the…baby" she rasped. "You have to… go after her."

"Kat will get her Lindsey" Chris said slightly desperately. Lindsey tried to shake her head.

"No! She left… before the… fight ended! Kat won't know… where to… look! You were… with her for… five years! You… can sense her! You need… to… go after her!"

The words were very hard to get out. Her breath was getter harder and harder to draw in and her vision just seemed to get fuzzier. She focused everything she had on Chris and on getting him to go after their child. He stared into her eyes, looking incredibly torn. Lindsey breathed in deeply, ignoring the way it hitched.

"Please Chris. You have to. We don't have… much time. You know where… I am… now. You can… come back for me" she croaked. Chris closed his eyes for a long moment. He sighed, opened them again and leaned down towards her. Lindsey sighed in relief as their lips met.

"Don't you dare die on me Lindsey Ludlow, or I will bring you back and kill you myself" he whispered in her ear after he'd pulled back. Lindsey smiled.

"Go" she whispered and Chris turned to Riley who smiled at him.

"Don't worry hun, I won't leave her side" she told him. "Just get back here right quick. That wound looks nastier then me without my coffee in the mornin."

Chris nodded and looked down at Lindsey again. "I won't be long" he murmured as his hand brushed over her hair. Lindsey smiled again and closed her eyes.

"I love you" she whispered and Chris blew out a sharp breath. She sighed when she felt him rest his forehead on hers. She opened her eyes in time to see him get to his feet.

"Take care of her" he ordered Riley, who nodded. He met Lindsey's eyes again, sighed once more and with a swirl of blue and white orbs, was in pursuit of his ex.

~0~

By the fourth dead end, Chris was getting very frustrated. He'd orb to where he sensed Bianca was, only to find once he got there that she wasn't there anymore. He ran his hands through his hair in agitation. He didn't have time for this! Lindsey could be dying! Yet he couldn't abandon his child. He sighed, closed his eyes and extended his senses. He knew she was still in the Underworld, which was good. If she'd shimmered above, he would have lost her. His frowned as he searched. She was… there. His eyes flashed open and he orbed to a deeper part of the Underworld. He sensed something about to happen as soon as he'd formed, and ducked just in time as an energy ball hit the wall above his head. He stood up again and looked at Bianca in disbelief.

"Have you gone that far that you would attack someone who loved you?" he asked quietly. Bianca laughed.

"Loved me? Loved me? You didn't love me! You were in love with the idea of me! It's your fault that I've 'gone that far'! I tried everything to keep your attention, but you still went around and screwed every female in your path!" she cried as she formed another energy ball. The Vessel was lying on the ground beside her, glowing weakly. Chris couldn't stop his eyes from straying to it. Bianca laughed again, hopelessness in her tone.

"See! You can't even focus entirely on me when we're the only ones here! She and your brat have all of your attention! It's not fair! I loved you!" she shouted, throwing the energy ball. Chris ducked again and came back up slowly.

"No you didn't Bianca. If you did, you wouldn't have slept with Antonio. When you love someone, you don't cheat on them. And I didn't cheat on you either. I was faithful the entire time we were together."

"But you fell for her as soon as she got here, didn't you? She must have used her sexuality to lure you away from me!" Chris sighed and shook his head.

"She didn't lure me away from you. She had nothing to do with you and me breaking up. You know why that happened" he said. He paused for a moment, before speaking again almost reluctantly.

"I will admit that she held my attention more then she should have while we were together. I'm sorry for that. But our relationship was over long before Lindsey arrived. We were basically roommates who slept in the same bed and shared something physical every once in an while. I just didn't want to admit that" he said. Bianca folded her arms.

"And this?" she said as she kicked the Vessel. Chris's eyes flicked to it again, and he involuntary took a step forward. Bianca laughed once again, and this time Chris could hear the tears in the sound.

"Right. This damn bottle means more to you than I ever could. I bet if we were attacked right now, you would protect the bottle, leaving me to die, wouldn't you? _Wouldn't you?_"

Chris swallowed and looked at her imploringly. "It's my child, Bianca" he said. The phoenix's face twisted.

"No it's not!" she screeched. "She wasn't around when the brat was conceived so you couldn't have screwed her! It's his! Not yours! His and _hers! _Well, I'm not going to let her win! I'm not! I'm NOT!"

Before Chris could even begin to realise what she was going to do, Bianca formed another energy ball and threw it at the Vessel. The world slowed down as he stared in horror at the path the energy ball was taking. It hit the Vessel and the Vessel shattered.

"NOOO!" Chris roared as he lunged towards the broken shards. He fell to his knees and desperately tried to pull the Vessel back together, cutting his hands on the sharp edges. Tears ran down his cheeks as he realised that it was hopeless, and he watched in despair as the golden glow that used to inhabit the Vessel formed amongst the broken glass and rose into the air.

"I'm sorry" he whispered brokenly as he watched it slowly rise above his head. The soul seemed to hear him, because it paused briefly and shined more brightly for a second before it gradually faded out of existence. Chris wiped his eyes and swallowed hard to try to clear the large obstruction in his throat before carefully getting to his feet and turning towards his child's murderer. Only to find she wasn't there. In his desolation, he'd let Bianca escape again.

~0~

Riley was chatting away constantly, trying her best to keep Lindsey awake and aware. The ploy wasn't working. She could feel herself fading. It was very quickly getting harder and harder to breathe. It felt like there was a stone weight sitting on her chest, and she kept going in and out of consciousness. Every time she passed out, Riley would shake her and shout her name until she woke up again. Funnily enough, the shaking didn't hurt her. The pain hadn't come back. But the warmth had disappeared as well, leaving her cold. So very cold. Where was Chris? She wanted Chris.

"Come on now sugar; don't go out on me again. You need to be awake for when your man comes back. Open those funky eyes of yours now. That's it" Riley said as she patted her cheek. Lindsey blinked at her; the older woman's form a blur in her eyes. A blur that was speedily turning into blankness. Emptiness. Nothing. She was leaving, going God knows where. She could sense her own life force blinking in and out and there was nothing she could do about it.

Time passed again and Lindsey's breathing got slower and slower. Riley's pleading was very distant and she couldn't feel her frantic shaking. She couldn't feel anything.

"Chris" she gasped as her breath left her.

"He'll be here soon Lindsey, please hold on!"

Riley's voice came from a long way off, and Lindsey found she couldn't do what the shape-shifter wanted her to do. Her heartbeat slowed and the nothingness took over her vision. She drew in a breath, gasped raggedly and stopped. And fell.

~0~

_**Lindsey walked towards the glowing white light in front of her. It was calling her and she needed to be there. She sped up, only to stop in confusion when someone stepped out of the shadows and put his hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened when she saw his face. **_

"_**Chris?" she whispered in shock.**_

_**The man who was identical to her boyfriend smiled and nodded at her. She blinked and took in his leather jacket, 5 o'clock shadow and the beaded necklace he was wearing that she had given him. What was he doing here? How was this possible?**_

"_**You're dead" she said as she cocked her head to the side. Chris laughed.**_

"_**That I am beautiful" he said. Lindsey frowned.**_

"_**Am I?" she asked. He shook his head.**_

"_**Not yet. Not until you step through that light. You're pretty close to it though. I'm here to stop you taking that last step." Lindsey raised an eyebrow.**_

"_**You're going to heal me?" she asked and Chris sighed and shook his head again.**_

"_**No. I wish I could, but I don't have that gift any more. I shouldn't even be doing this, but I couldn't let you die. Not when you've just found happiness. So I decided to take a page out of Dad's book and intercept you."**_

_**Lindsey looked over his shoulder at the white light. It was urging her to come forward and she instinctively tried to take a step around him. Chris took her hand and tugged her to a stop.**_

"_**You would do this to him?" he asked softly and Lindsey froze. She swallowed hard and looked at the apparition in front of her. Chris shook her hand in desperation.**_

"_**He's going to need you Lindsey. Something… something has happened and if you go, he won't get through it. He'll break and nothing will be able to put him back together. Trust me, I know." **_

_**The thought of Chris in pain very quickly overrid the urge to enter the light. She took a deep breath, deliberately turned her back on it and looked at the other Chris, who smiled in relief.**_

"_**Thank you. I knew you loved us, but this… this is incredible. You won't regret it" he said. Lindsey nodded.**_

"_**So if you can't heal me, how do I get back?" she asked. Chris smiled again.**_

"_**It'll happen" he said mysteriously. "Before it does, there's one thing I need to do."**_

"_**What?" Lindsey asked and Chris's smile spread into a grin.**_

"_**This" he said before he tugged on her hand, drew her into his arms and kissed her. The kiss was short and sweet and it made Lindsey's blood pound. Her eyes opened slowly as Chris stepped back and rested his hand on her cheek.**_

"_**You were my everything. I'm glad you still get to be" he murmured before he blinked and smiled again. **_

"_**Told you it would happen" he said and Lindsey suddenly became aware of a sound. A desperate begging.**_

"No, no, please, don't you leave me! You are not leaving me! I can't lose you too! Please, Lindsey, please come back to me! I – I love you? I love you. God I love you so much. Please, please come back to me!"

_**Lindsey's eyes widened in wonder. He loved her. Chris loved her! She beamed joyfully at the other Chris and then gasped as she felt a tug in the other direction. She looked at Chris, who smiled.**_

"_**Go. He needs you" he said and she embraced the tugging, falling once again.**_

~0~

Lindsey breathed in deeply and suddenly, choking on the air as it filled her lungs. Once her head had stopped spinning, she turned and grinned weakly at her boyfriend, who was staring in shock at the fading gold coming from his hands.

"Told you you would love me" she rasped at him and Chris gave a burst of laughter. He grabbed her and jerked her into his arms, burying his face into her neck.

"Oh, I do. God, I do" he murmured before he jerked her back.

"Don't you _ever_ do that to me again" he snapped. "Never again. Do you understand me Lindsey?" She laughed and nodded before giving him a loud smack of a kiss.

"Aww, well isn't that as sweet as cherry pie" Riley said and Lindsey drew back to turn around and grin at her. "Good to have you back sugar."

"It's good to be back" Lindsey said with a laugh. She looked around and suddenly realised where they were.

"Why are we in the attic?" she asked and Chris sighed.

"I bought you here because I thought Wyatt would be here, but he wasn't. They must have figured out how I found you and followed me" he said. Lindsey looked at him curiously.

"How did you find me?" she asked. Chris grinned.

"Reversed the To Find A Lost Witch Spell" he said simply. "It was easy. I just focused on you, said the spell, and away I went. Took a while to figure that was what I needed to do. I'm sorry I didn't think of it earlier. If I had, maybe you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

Lindsey stepped forward and took his face into her hands. "If I didn't get hurt, you wouldn't have realised you loved me and figured out how to heal" she told him softly. "So in the end, your ex sticking that dagger into me was a win-win situation. Speaking of Bianca, did you find her?"

Lindsey knew something was wrong the instant the question passed her lips. Chris went very still and sorrow swam in his gaze. Lindsey let go of his face and took a step back, slowly lowering herself until she was sitting on the attic floor.

"Chris?" she whispered desperately and her boyfriend crouched down in front of her and took her hands.

"Oh God Lindsey, I'm so sorry. I tried, I really did but…"

"Just tell me" she said flatly. Chris closed his eyes and dropped his head before slowly raising it again and meeting her eyes.

"I found her. I did find her, but she was so angry and me and I'm sorry, I'm so very sorry but she took it out on the baby. She destroyed the Vessel Lindsey. Our baby is gone."

For the second time in her life, there was a rushing, wooshing type fuzziness in Lindsey's ears. She stared at Chris blankly.

"Are you sure?" she asked, still in the same flat tone. Chris's hands tightened on hers as he nodded.

"I watched it go myself. The soul rose from the broken glass and then just faded away. I'm sorry sweetheart. So very, very sorry."

As Chris continued to apologize, Lindsey closed her eyes. Her heart felt like it had been ripped from her chest. Her baby was gone. Their baby was gone, and this time there was no way it was ever going to come back.


	23. Settling scores

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Riley and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Twenty Three – Settling scores

_As Chris continued to apologize, Lindsey closed her eyes. Her heart felt like it had been ripped from her chest. Her baby was gone. Their baby was gone, and this time there was no way it was ever going to come back._

With her hands balled into fists, Lindsey opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head. She could feel herself beginning to tremble. Just as she could already feel her magic beginning to bubble and swirl around inside her. Chris stopped talking the moment her eyes met his. He reached up to frame her face, his gaze searching hers intently, as if looking for blame.

"I'm sorry love. I really am so sorry, if I'd only found her sooner-"

He stopped again when Lindsey lifted her hand and placed it over his mouth, halting his desperate apologies. She shook her head.

"It wasn't your fault. Even if you had gotten to her sooner, she still would have done what she did. She wanted both of us to suffer. No, all of the fault and blame falls on one person and one person only."

Her magic swelled up and her trembles turned to shakes.

"Bianca is the one who killed our baby and she is the one who needs to pay for it" she whispered fiercely as the air began to vibrate and crackle with power. She could feel it running over her skin and flowing through her hair, making it look like the strands had a life of their own. She stared into her boyfriend's eyes as her sorrow and pain got pushed aside and she let her anger take full rein.

"She needs to pay for what she has done. She needs to hurt and suffer like she has made us hurt and suffer. She needs to answer for killing our child and we need to _make_ her answer for it" she hissed. Chris nodded slowly.

"Okay, she needs to go up and face judgement from the Elders-"

Once again, Lindsey placed her hand over Chris's mouth. He frowned at her worriedly when she took it away.

"No, not like that. She needs more than that. She needs to physically suffer" she stated. Chris went still.

"What are you saying?" he whispered as her magic began to affect him as well. His eyes darkened and he swallowed hard.

"I'm saying that we need to find her. You need to extend your senses and locate her and we need to pay her back for doing this to us. She needs to _hurt_" she whispered furiously.

Chris didn't protest like Lindsey expected him to. Bianca had been his girlfriend for three years, and his fiancée for two, and even after she'd betrayed him, he still cared enough about her to not want justice to turn into vengeance, just like he had in the past when she'd betrayed him back then. Lindsey also understood that he didn't want her to do something that she might later regret. But he didn't say a word. Instead, his hands tightened around her face and once again, he searched her eyes. For a long moment, he just studied her silently.

"You need this" he finally murmured and Lindsey nodded eagerly.

"Yes, I do. Don't you?" she asked. Chris sighed.

"I need you to be happy and healthy, and if doing this will help you to eventually get to that place, then I'll do it. She's done something horrific and I want a piece of her as well. But I won't let you go too far."

He shook his head when Lindsey frowned and went to protest.

"I understand that you're hurting majorly at the moment, I am too, but killing Bianca will not make you feel better. In the end, it will probably just make you feel worse. You're not a killer Lindsey" he said. His girlfriend growled.

"I've vanquished many a demon in my time Chris!" she snapped. He shook his head stubbornly.

"Bianca isn't a demon. She isn't!" he insisted when Lindsey scoffed. "She is a witch that at some point in the past few years went in the wrong direction. I'm not saying that you can't take some of this pain out on her and making her feel as bad as she's made us feel. Hell, if you don't, I certainly will! But you're not going to kill her. She needs to be trialled and judged by the Elders, and then they need to decide what to do with her" he said quietly. Lindsey frowned and just looked at him for a long moment before sighing and burying herself in his arms, her cheek against his chest.

"Sometimes, Christopher Halliwell, you are just too good for your own good" she murmured, her magic settling a little. Chris chuckled.

"And you love that about me" he said as he rested his cheek on top of her head. Lindsey graced him with a half-smile.

"Maybe" she said playfully and Chris laughed again.

"So no killing?" he asked her. Lindsey huffed out a breath in annoyance.

"No killing" she agreed grudgingly. She pulled back from him, got up off the floor and waved her hand at him. He grinned crookedly before closing his eyes. After a short time, he frowned.

"What's wrong? Can't you find her?" Lindsey asked a little worriedly. No dammit, Bianca was not going to get away with this! Chris's frown deepened.

"Yeah, I can. It's weird. It's like she's in the city, but she isn't. The only other time I've sensed something like this was when…"

He trailed off and his eyes widened. Lindsey was about to question him again, when the room was suddenly filled with blue lights, as well as a single stream of pink. Lindsey spun around and watched as the Charmed Ones, Melinda, PJ, Tammy, Kat and Wyatt orbed and hearted in. Tammy was holding her twins hand tightly. Looking around the group, Lindsey found her focus sifting very quickly. Her gaze became fixed on the struggling prisoner that Wyatt was holding in a firm grasp.

"Let go of me! I haven't done anything wrong! How dare you!" Bianca shouted as she desperately tried to tug herself away from the Twice Blessed. Wyatt scoffed and fixed her with a hard stare.

"Haven't done anything wrong? You kidnapped and hurt my family! How is that not doing anything- whoa!"

The instant Lindsey saw the woman who had destroyed one of her dreams, her promise to Chris about not going too far flew straight out the window. If someone had asked her later how the situation had begun, she wouldn't have been able to give an answer. Her magic exploded out of her and the next thing she knew, Bianca was being flung through the air by an incredibly strong blast of wind that Lindsey wasn't even aware of creating. The phoenix crashed into the bookcase on the other side of the room and slid to the floor with a groan.

"Lindsey, stay in control!" she heard Chris cry. She spun around on the spot and glared at him.

"You said I could make her suffer! This is me making her suffer!" she growled and turned back to her boyfriend's ex. Bianca was just getting to her feet, swaying slightly, and once she'd gotten her senses about her again, she stared at the younger witch in fear.

Lindsey knew that at the moment she looked like someone who could make terror spread very easily. She was aware of how she looked when she let herself go and her power was once again coursing over and through her, blowing her hair back and up, making it act eerily like a snake. Her body was trembling and the floor of the attic was copying her and doing the same thing. The whole house was shaking as the earth trembled. The air was charged with something that felt a lot like electricity and outside the window, thunder and lightning was streaming across a previously calm sky. She narrowed her eyes at the phoenix and all around the attic; candles blazed until their flames reached almost half a metre high and the water sitting in the potion pot began to boil. Bianca gulped as her eyes flicked around the room and Lindsey laughed.

"That's right, fear me bitch. Tremble at what I'm going to do to you. When I'm finished, they'll have to read the tag on your toe to know who you are" she hissed softly as she slowly took one step after another towards her enemy. Bianca gulped again and then she straightened her shoulders, her face full of blustering bravado.

"Oh, I very much doubt that! You don't have the balls to kill me little girl. If you had, you would have done it the first time round!" she crowed confidently. Lindsey smiled and the water blasted out of the pot and coated the ceiling. Her smiled widened when Bianca involuntarily cringed and her hand came up in a sharp gesture when she sensed someone step towards her.

"No. She is mine. She killed my baby. She destroyed the Vessel and killed my baby" she said flatly. Her eyes never left Bianca's as the attic filled with shocked gasps and she growled again when the person approaching her ignored her words. She only realised who it was when Chris put his hand on her shoulder.

Her eyes left Bianca's briefly and she met her boyfriend's gaze. Chris's eyes widened.

"Your eyes" he whispered as an unreadable emotion ran through his voice. "They're glowing."

In the back of Lindsey's mind, a stray thought pushed its way forward. She really hoped that this didn't scare him off. He'd seen her like this before of course, but he hadn't loved her then. He did now and she really hoped that the thought of maybe having to occasionally see her let her magic take over didn't put him off. She pushed the thought aside and quickly turning back to the phoenix. If it did, she'd deal with that later. Right now she had a witch to take down. Chris leaned down close to her ear.

"Remember, you aren't a killer" he murmured. She frowned and pushed that aside as well. Maybe today she was. She focused on Bianca and smirked again as she watched her trying to shimmer and frowning in frustration and panic when she wasn't going anywhere.

"Ah, ah, ah" she cooed as she wagged her finger in time with her words. "That won't work. We put wards up around the house a couple of days ago so nothing evil can get in or out. Didn't want to be distracted from the search."

She put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Now, look at you! You can't shimmer, so you must be evil. And what do we do to evil beings?" she said as she once again advanced on Bianca, Chris following behind. "What was it? Oh, that's right! We _vanquish_ them!"

Her last sentence came out in a menacing jeer and her arm rose to accompany it. Her magic twisted and Bianca was once again flying into the far wall. She seemed to know what to expect this time, as she curled up and protected her head, and got to her feet fairly quickly after she hit the floor again. In the blink of an eye she formed an energy ball and threw it at Lindsey, who flicked her hand and the flame from one of the candles formed a stream and caught the energy ball in mid-air. There was a large flash of light and a sizzling sound as the fire overpowered the energy ball and extinguished it. Lindsey laughed as Bianca stared at her in shock.

"That's the best you've got?" she taunted her. Bianca scowled and turned almost desperately to Chris, who was still close behind Lindsey, giving her silent but steady support.

"You're going to let her do this? You're just going to stand there and watch her take her anger out on me? What about us? Did our relationship mean so little to you that you can now quite happily watch me hurt?" she asked, her voice high with fear. Lindsey growled and took a step forward, stopping when Chris squeezed her shoulder and took his own around her.

"Our relationship meant a lot, but that person, the one I fell in love with and asked to marry me, no longer exists. She got pushed aside the instant you turned to evil, and she died completely the first time you attacked an innocent. And don't forget Bianca, the Vessel you destroyed was carrying the soul or _my_ child. If that soul's mother and the woman I love wants a little revenge before we turn you over to the Elders, then I'm not going to get in her way. If you're not careful, I might just help her!" he snapped. Bianca's mouth fell open and her face twisted before she shrieked.

"What?! No! You can't love her! You're meant to love _me!_ Even if it was only the idea of me, it was still me, and only me, for the rest of your life! It's the reason why I did all this! How could you?! HOW COULD YOU?!"

She lunged at Chris, a snarl on her lips. She didn't get anywhere near him. Chris raised his hand and TK'ed her at the same time as Lindsey flicked her fingers and the water dripping from the ceiling shot down and swam around her ankles. Another flick caused the water to freeze solid. The ice prison and the TK at the same time meant Bianca started to go flying back, only for the top of her body to whiplash back and then forward again, her feet breaking through the ice and making her fall flat on her face not two steps away from where she started. Her nose slammed into the floor. Everyone heard the crack as it broke. She groaned again and Lindsey stepped over to her and hurled her to her feet. She grinned gleefully when she saw the blood running over her mouth and down her chin.

"You actually thought you could get close to him? Not while I'm here skank! He's not that easy to get to and he isn't yours. He'll never be yours! It's me he loves and he proved that by healing me after your dagger nearly killed me!"

Lindsey was concentrating so hard on taunting Bianca, making her feel as bad as possible, that she didn't anticipate her enemy using a tried and true defence. Bianca shrieked again, raised her fist and propelled it forward, catching Lindsey just under her right eye with a punch that knocked her back a couple of steps. Pain rocketed up and down her cheek, and her hand came up to cover the ache. Chris automatically turned to her, which Bianca took full advantage of. She turned on the spot and sprinted for the attic door. Lindsey gasped and lunged after her.

"No! Stop her!" she shouted and Wyatt, who Lindsey had honestly forgot was there at all, orbed in front of her with his arms folded.

Bianca snarled again, formed an energy ball and threw it at the Twice Blessed. Lindsey smirked at her useless attempt at attacking someone who can form an orb shield at will. Wyatt smiled as well and he watched the energy ball coming towards him, almost as if he was playing with the phoenix. Suddenly his eyes widened and his head snapped to the side as a sandy coloured wolf came hurtling towards him, bowling into his side and slamming him back into a shelf of potion ingredients. The shelf shook and came tumbling down, falling directly on Wyatt and the wolf, who Lindsey suddenly realised was Riley. She'd obviously been trying to stop him from getting hurt, not knowing that he wouldn't be. Instead, she may have ended up crushing them both under the heavy shelf.

"Wyatt!" several people shouted. Lindsey started towards them anxiously, only to stop as Chris, Melinda and Piper all ran forward to grab the shelf and lift it off the two witches. She breathed a sigh of relief as she saw that they were both still alive. Unconscious, but still alive. Her head swung back to Bianca in time to see her hair flying behind her as she ran out the door.

"Oh, hell no!" she growled and bolted after her.

~0~

She caught up with Bianca in the foyer. The phoenix was heading for the front door at a rapid pace. Lindsey raised a hand as she ran down the stairs and the pot-plant at the door sprouted grasping leaves and latched onto the older witch as she passed. Bianca shrieked and frantically began shredding the leaves. Lindsey flicked her hand again and a long, swirling, tornado-like vine of wind wound around Bianca's ankles and yanked her back. She fell to the ground, yelling in fear and kicking out. When that didn't work she swivelled her head around before reaching for a spare pair of shoes sitting under the stairs and chucking them at the coils of air, cutting them off. She jumped to her feet again and faced off with Lindsey, her eyes flicking desperately towards the door.

"Aww, come on now, don't be the coward I know you are" Lindsey provoked with a grin. "You don't want to go out with a yellow belly now do you? Where's the fun in that?"

As Bianca stiffened and squared her shoulders determinedly, a small warning bell began to once again ring in the back of Lindsey's mind. Her magic had been ruling her for a while now and she knew that if she didn't settle it down soon, Bianca wouldn't continue to be the biggest villain of the piece. She pushed the warning aside. She needed to make her pay first. She narrowed her eyes at the phoenix, who glared right back at her.

"Okay then, Miss All Big and Mighty! Let's do this thing!" Bianca hissed and suddenly formed a large energy ball in each hand, tossed them at Lindsey and formed two more.

Lindsey flung out her hand and a whip of fire shot out of the dying embers sitting in the hearth in the living room. They began to lash at the energy balls, continuously snuffing out every one Bianca threw her way. At the same time, she pointed her other hand towards the kitchen and a loud rumbling rang through the house before a bucket load of ice chips from the icemaker in the fridge zoomed through the dining room and into the foyer. They hit the heated air and dissolved instantly, providing the perfect camouflage as the foyer filled with mist. Bianca yelped in confusion.

"What's wrong Miss Fugly? Can't see where you're aiming?" Lindsey chuckled as the mist parted for her and only for her. Bianca growled in irritation and then suddenly smirked.

"Maybe I can't see you, but I can see _him!_" she hissed as she pivoted and abruptly threw an energy ball through a clear path of air toward the stairs. Lindsey gasped and spun around in time to see the ball hit Chris in the shoulder, knocking him back and sending him tumbling down them.

"NOOO!" she shouted desperately and rushed to his side. She blanched as she crouched down beside him and saw how much blood was spreading down his arm. She frantically began patting his cheeks, trying to wake him up.

"Chris, Chris, be okay. Please be okay" she begged quietly as she ran her hands over him. Chris didn't answer her. He was out cold. Seeing this, Lindsey slowly got to her feet as her magic surged freely and eagerly through her.

"You kill my baby and then you go after him?! Screw not going too far! You die now bitch!" she shrieked. She raised both hands and the mist solidified into ice chips again.

Sharp-edged ice chips.

They rushed straight at Bianca and zoomed around and around her, slicing her skin over and over again. Bianca cried out in pain. The fire whips appeared again as well and began lashing the phoenix, and while she tried to escape them, a column of wind wrapped itself around her throat and began to tighten. As she tried to fight all this off, the floor opened up and thick, glossy mud began to creep over her feet and up her legs, hardening as it went thanks to the fire still attacking her. Bianca struggled and choked, trying desperately to escape. No such luck. She wasn't going anywhere and Lindsey cackled insanely.

Her magic was now in complete control. The warning bell exploded in her mind, but was soon silenced as her gifts swirled and lapped at her, darkening the air and filling her entire being until there was almost nothing of her left. Her colour of her hair began to darken, turning a raven black and her violet eyes swallowed her irises until they looked eerily inhuman. At the moment, Lindsey looked very much like her ancestor, the Elemental Queen. And this was a very, very bad thing. Because once The Queen took over, Lindsey knew that the thing, the _essence_ that made her her might never come back.

These thoughts were very small, sluggish and easily ignored. She grinned and her hand tightened into a fist, causing the rope of wind to tighten as well. Bianca choked out a desperate gasping sound. The mud continued to slowly make its way up her body, and the ice shards picked up their pace, zeroing in on the skin that was still exposed. The fire whips did the same thing and as all this happened, Lindsey just watched and smiled lazily.

"Lindsey, stop."

She ignored the annoying little voice coming from somewhere behind her. No one was going to stop her getting her vengeance.

"Lindsey, please. You have to stop."

She shook her head and frowned. Go away! She deserved this! She killed the baby and hurt Chris-

"Please, love. Please remember. You aren't a killer. Don't give in to it. You're stronger than this. Please don't leave me. Don't go somewhere I can't follow."

The raspy, croaking voice gradually made its way through her magic soaked brain. There was something familiar about it. She frowned. What was it? Who was it? She jumped slightly at the hand that came to rest under her chin, and she reluctantly let her head be drawn around until she was staring into a pair of pain-filled, bottle green eyes.

"I love you Lindsey" the voice murmured as the hand on her chin came up to cup her cheek.

The words completed what his earlier sentences had started, and they smashed through the heavy magic thst was pushing who she was far down inside. She gasped and swallowed as she stared at him, and a tear ran down her cheek as Lindsey was suddenly stronger than The Queen, and she began the painful process of pushing herself back up and putting the magic back where it belonged. She'd only gone this far once before, when her father had been killed, and it had taken every little bit of her will to become herself again. This time was no different and just as hard. It kept jerking out of her hold and trying to run amuck. She used Chris's eyes as a touchstone as she carefully gathered it in and pushed it back down, letting herself rise to the surface again. Her hair slowly returned to its original colour and black swam through the violet in her eyes as her irises returned. Finally, after a very long moment that make her tremble violently, she was herself again. The Queen was caged once more. Chris smiled.

"There you are" he murmured before gently laying his lips against hers. "I knew you wouldn't give in. There's too much of you inside you for that."

Lindsey laughed weakly at his confusing sentence before stepping back slightly and running her eyes over him.

"Are you okay?" she asked ugently. Chris shrugged and then winced and rolled his injured shoulder.

"Been better. But I've been worse as well. It's not too bad, so don't worry about me. We need to focus on her and what we're going to do with her" he said quietly as he nodded over her shoulder at Bianca. Lindsey slowly turned around to face her, Chris drawing her up against him.

Bianca was curled up on the floor, coughing and gasping. The only evidence of the elements that had almost killed her was the split in the ground. The elemental weapons had disappeared the instant Lindsey had become herself again. She scowled down at the phoenix.

"Take her to the Elders" Piper suggested softly and Chris and Lindsey turned to look at the stairs. The Charmed Ones and their children, minus Wyatt were all standing there watching them. They looked like they'd been there for a while. Lindsey cringed. An awed look, and maybe a slightly afraid look, was spreading across all of the younger Halliwells faces. Great. How was she going to explain this? And where was Wyatt and Riley?

Chris squeezed her shoulders in comfort before asking how his brother was and Lindsey smiled up at him as he asked what she was thinking. She looked at Paige as she answered.

"He's going to be okay. Took a pretty hard hit and is still out to it, as is the awesome shifter, but once they wake up they should be fine" she said. Both Chris and Lindsey sighed in relief before turning back to Bianca, who hadn't moved.

Lindsey frowned as she stared at her. Give her to the Elders? Could she do that? Could she just let her go? She'd killed her child and attacked the man she loved. Would the Elders's punishment be strong enough?

"I have a better idea than just giving her to them" a very familiar voice said from the other side of the room. Lindsey went still and her eyes widened. He was right beside her so how can…

"Oh My God. Chris?" Piper whispered and Lindsey spun round to stare at the almost carbon copy of her boyfriend. He grinned at then all.

"Hi everyone" he said and Piper cried out in joy, rushed down the stairs and into his arms.


	24. What's coming to her

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Michael, Riley and Lindsey

**Quick A/N - I really hope this makes sense. It did to me, but you never know. So please let me know if something is confusing you, and I'll do my best to explain. Right, on with the story!**

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Chapter Twenty Four – What's coming to her

"_Oh My God. Chris?" Piper whispered and Lindsey spun round to stare at the almost carbon copy of her boyfriend. He grinned at them all._

"_Hi everyone" he said and Piper cried out in joy, rushed down the stairs and into his arms._

Chris swallowed as his mother hugged the other him. Well this was weird. It was one thing to except that he existed when he was only part of his dreams, it was completely another when he was standing right in front of them. His eyes flicked down to Lindsey, and he couldn't help the irrational jealousy he felt when he saw the look in her eyes. Sure, she looked stunned, but she also looked… he swallowed again, harder this time. There was happiness and almost a longing swimming in them, and even though he knew it was stupid, as according to her the other Chris and him were the same person, he did not like it one bit.

He squeezed her shoulder, drawing her closer to him and then snorted silently at his possessive actions. Lindsey blinked, looked up at him and smiled before turning in his arms, leaning back against him and drawing his arm around her. She squeezed his hand tightly, as if seeking comfort, before turning back to the other Chris, a little bit more settled then she had been. He shook his head at the copious amounts of relief he felt as with that one simple move, she basically put his fears to rest. The other him may have had her in the past, but he had her now, and the clone showing up wasn't going to change that. The other him looked up at her movement and he smiled, almost sadly at them before he looked down at Piper.

"Hi Mom" he said as he grinned at her and Piper's answering smile was beaming as well as rather watery. She went to hug him again and got a surprise when she almost fell through. The other Chris winced as he did his best to steady her.

"Ah, yeah, sorry about that. I can only hold my corporal form for so long before it gets too tiring and I become unsubstantial again" he said apologetically.

Piper frowned at him, but before she could say anything, there was a tinkle of orbing and Wyatt arrived, swaying slightly as he landed. Chris's mother looked torn, her eyes flicking between her oldest son and the one she had lost, but Wyatt didn't even notice her indecision, or the unexpected guest they had. His focus was fully on the still unconscious wolf in his arms. He walked over to the sofa in the living room, laid her gently on her side, crouched down and frowned at her. The look on his face seemed to make up Piper's mind, as she walked over to the Twice Blessed and the witch that had laid her life on the line for him.

"She'll be fine Wyatt" Piper murmured and Chris blinked in surprise when his brother looked up. He looked anxious and not a little worried. Over someone he hadn't even officially met yet.

"She will be when she wakes up and shifts back so I can heal her" he said and then grimaced in pain, raising his hand to his head. His mother threw him a worried look.

"You need to be healed as well" she said. Wyatt shook his head.

"I'm okay. She's the one who was captured by demons" he said as he looked back at the sofa. He jolted slightly when Riley's form suddenly melted and she became human again.

A very naked, female human.

Chris couldn't help the smirk that spread over his face as he watched his older brother gulp and stare in wonder at the naked skin in front of him, his eyes darkening with something that he was sure Wyatt hadn't felt in quite some time. He watched as The Twice Blessed blinked and suddenly seemed to remember that it was rude and inappropriate to gape the way he was, especially when the person he was looking at was unconscious. He blushed fiercely and looked away, (rather reluctantly in Chris's opinion) quickly took off his jacket and laid it over the shifter. The moment the material settled over her, Riley stirred, moaning quietly. Beside Chris, Lindsey hummed a soft, surprised _huh_ as Wyatt's head shot back to the witch, watching her anxiously as she slowly and carefully shifted her body.

"Lordy, I haven't felt this bad since I guzzled some of Uncle Robbie's moonshine whiskey" Riley groaned softly, lifting her hand to her head. She blinked open her eyes when Wyatt chuckled softly, and they widened when she saw the man crouched beside her. She slowly sat up and Wyatt blushed again as his jacket began to slip. He swiftly tugged it back into place and Riley gripped it tightly, smiling her thanks. Her smile soon took on a flirty edge as she became a little more aware of the person beside her. She ran her eyes over him appreciatively.

"Oh my, my. You really are one tall, cool drink of water. Even better lookin up close" she murmured and Wyatt's eyes widened before he blushed for a third time. Both Chris and Lindsey held back laughter as Riley's smile grew and Wyatt looked flustered and frowned at her.

"You didn't have to do what you did" he said quietly, ignoring her words. Riley stopped checking him out and threw him a puzzled, slightly amused look.

"Like playin the hero, do you darlin'?" she asked and Wyatt shook his head.

"It's not that. I grew up with too many strong female figures in my life not to know that women can stand up for and take care of themselves, and are just as good at defending and rescuing as men are. You didn't have to do it because I wasn't going to get hurt. I can create a shield that would have taken care of that energy ball in no time. You risked your life for nothing."

Riley pursed her lips at his quiet tone, (Chris had to hold back laughter again as Wyatt's eyes flicked down to them and lingered before he jerked his eyes away) and she shrugged.

"I didn't know that and don't see it as nothin. You looked like you were goin to get hurt, and I was in a position to stop that from happenin. So I did" she said simply and Wyatt blinked, awe and dawning confusion dominating his features briefly.

"Well the least I can do is take care of those cuts and bruises" he said and Chris's eyebrows shot high. He was acting as though he and Riley were the only people in the room. Colour stained Wyatt's cheeks again when Riley beamed at him.

"Well, go ahead then darlin'. I certainly won't stop you" she said.

The room was silent as Riley leaned towards him and the Twice Blessed healed the girl who had done her best to save his life. She sighed in relief when he'd finished, the swelling and bruising on her face, and the multiple cuts on her body completely gone.

"There. Pretty as a picture" Wyatt murmured, his eyes locked on Riley's face. Chris's mouth fell open and this time he couldn't hold back his quiet laughter when Wyatt almost unknowingly reached out and brushed a finger along her cheek.

Riley froze slightly, blinked and then grinned widely at him, leaning into his touch. Wyatt blushed once again and quickly removed his hand, making her grin even wider. Chris could hardly believe it. His brother was acting as if he really liked the shifter, which was slightly shocking, as he hadn't shown any interest in the opposite sex since Lydia died. But going by the way his brother couldn't seem to take his eyes off Riley, he was certainly showing interest now. And it looked like the feeling was mutual. Chris just hoped Wyatt's guilt didn't rear its ugly head. He was way past due in moving on, but he wasn't sure if Wyatt would see it that way.

Riley reluctantly drew her gaze away from his brother and did something that Wyatt still hadn't managed to do. She looked around the room, and her arched eyebrows rose before she looked back at him.

"So wanna help a gal out here, darlin' and explain what's going on round here, and why ya'll seem to have two of the same person in this room?" she suggested cheerfully, her eyes twinkling at him.

Wyatt's own eyes widened again, for a completely different reason this time, and he stood up quickly and swayed a little. Riley reached out and steadied him and Wyatt smiled down at her before he looked around, stopping dead when he saw the other Chris. The clone, who seemed to have a hazy quality about him now, grinned.

"Hey bro. Good to see you… well, good" he said as Wyatt switched his gaze between the two Chris's.

"Okay, this is really weird" he finally said, echoing Chris's earlier thought. "Someone want to explain what's going on here?"

"I'll second that" PJ said as she, Tammy, Kat, Melinda, Phoebe and Paige all moved into the room. "Who's this guy, why does he look so much like Chris and why did he call Aunt Piper Mom?"

The other Chris blinked and looked at his aunts. "Aunt Piper? So she's one of yours then?" he asked. Phoebe smiled.

"She's mine. Her name's Prudence Johnna-"

"PJ" the girl interrupted with a roll of her eyes. Phoebe grinned at her.

"PJ" she clarified. "I've got two others as well. Parker and Penelope, or Penny. Their dad's a cupid."

The other Chris laughed. "Trust you to marry a cupid, and to name them with names starting with P" he said and Phoebe laughed as well, walked over and hugged him. He turned to Paige.

"Are the twins are yours?" he asked and Paige smiled and nodded.

"Yup. Tamora" she said, pointing at the twin with the longer hair. "And Kat. I have a son as well, Henry Jnr. Their dad is a parole officer and mortal." She walked over and punched him in the shoulder, before hugging him. "Good to see you back, dude" she said and the other Chris smiled.

"I'm not back for long" he warned. "Just long enough to take care of her" he said, indicating Bianca, who was still curled up on the floor, trying to get over her near death experience. "And meet the rest of the family it seems." He looked over and frowned at the only person he hadn't been introduced to. "And you are?" he asked Melinda and Chris breathed in sharply.

He didn't know who Melinda was? How was that possible? Hadn't she been around in his future?

Melinda frowned in confusion, obviously thinking the same thing, before she walked over to him and stuck out her hand. The other Chris's eyes widened as he took in her resemblance to his mother.

"Hi!" she said brightly. "I'm Melinda, or Mel and I'm your sister. Nice to meet you."

The other Chris blinked and shook her hand, a grin slowly spreading across his face.

"Well that's surprising. And wonderful. It's fantastic to know that my efforts weren't in vain, if Mom and Dad were able to have another child" he said happily.

"You knew when you died that they hadn't been in vain" Lindsey said quietly and Chris instinctively tightened his arm around her when the clone looked in her direction and smiled.

He moved around the Charmed Ones and his sister and walked over to them. It took everything Chris had not to jerk Lindsey away when he raised his hand to her cheek.

"Hello beautiful. Good to see you amongst the living again" he said softly and Lindsey's eyes widened. The other Chris chuckled and met his counterparts gaze. The chuckle turned into a laugh when he read what was in them.

"Still jealous of yourself, I see" he said and Lindsey frowned and looked between the two. Chris swallowed and opened his mouth to explain, when he was interrupted by Coop, who hearted in with the rest of the family. A large smile broke across the other Chris's face as Leo looked around and froze in shock at the sight of him.

"Chris?" he whispered, his eyes flicking between the two almost identical men. The clone nodded and suddenly Leo was running.

Chris had to look away as his father and the clone hugged each other tightly. He'd never been more confused in his life. That was his dad, but he was the clones as well, so he shouldn't be feeling this way. Confused, true, but jealous and a little angry as well. But he was and there wasn't anything he could do about it.

"You did it, Dad. You saved him and the future. I'm so proud of you" the other Chris whispered. Leo pulled back and smiled at him, his eyes filled.

"No, you're the one you should be proud of. You saved your brother and the future, not me" he said. The clone rolled his eyes and then looked at his father in interest.

"What are you doing here anyway? How'd you know to come?"

"We were told to" Coop answered and Leo and the other Chris turned to look at him as Phoebe walked over to her family.

"By who?" she asked as she stood beside her husband and younger daughters, both of who were watching the clone curiously, just like Henry and his son.

"I did" a voice said and everyone turned to see Michael orb in. "I thought that the youngsters might want to meet him and this'll give his parents a chance to say a proper goodbye."

"But who _is_ he?!" Kat burst out, her voice ripe with frustration. The other Chris smiled at her gently.

"Well that's easy. I'm him" he said as he pointed his thumb over his shoulder at Chris. Kat frowned and PJ rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, that explains everything" she said dryly and the clone laughed. He turned to Michael and raised an eyebrow, his form becoming slightly fuzzy again.

"You want to tell the story?" he suggested and Michael nodded before launching into a tale that should have shocked and surprised everyone, but didn't. It was just one of those everyday things in the Halliwell family.

~0~

The family were more sympathetic then anything. The other Chris smiled gently at their horrified and sad expressions. He shrugged.

"Hey, don't feel sorry for me. I knew and accepted that this could happen when I decided to go back" he said. Penny looked puzzled.

"Are you a ghost then?" she asked and the other Chris turned and smiled at her.

"Sort of. I did die, but I also didn't do I didn't become a proper ghost" he said. Penny just looked even more confused.

"That doesn't make sense" she pointed out and the clone laughed.

"You're right. It doesn't" he said as he crouched down in front of the two youngest Halliwells. "See, what happened is, when I died, your Chris, the one who is holding Lindsey so tightly" he said with an amused look over his shoulder, "he was born at exactly the same time. So instead of my soul moving on to another life or hanging around as a ghost or spirit, 95% of it went into him. I'm the 5% that didn't. I guess you could call me an echo, an afterthought, or an ending of the life I lived. And I know that sounds callous" he said as a number of people began to protest. He stood back up and looked around.

"But that's what I am. After Chris was born, I should have moved on. Gone on to the next life this version of me should have had. But I didn't. I stayed around because I didn't want to move on. Not while my family and the woman I loved were grieving so hard."

He glanced at Lindsey, who smiled back sadly. "You guys eventually moved on with your lives, but Lindsey didn't. She didn't bond with baby Chris, which I'm glad about now, because that would have been weird. And then finding out about the baby… well it just made me even more determined to make sure that she got the happy ending that she deserved. The one that I couldn't give her."

He laughed shortly and rubbed his face with his hands. "That didn't turn out the way I thought it would" he said and Chris looked at Lindsey, expecting her to need him. Instead, she was frowning.

"So if you're here, you really did save my life. You stopped me from entering the light" she said and the other Chris nodded.

"I couldn't let you die. Not when he was so close to figuring out what he needed to heal you" he said as Chris stared at the two of them in shock. Before he could say anything, Lindsey was speaking again, her face twisted in thought.

"My dream… you attacked Chris" she said slowly before she glared at him. "Why were you throwing him around all over the place?" she demanded. The other Chris grinned.

"Hey, he hurt you. I had to make him pay" he said and Lindsey scowled before looking at her boyfriend narrowly.

"Something tells me that wasn't the first time you two have communicated" she said and Chris looked away sheepishly. The other Chris laughed again.

"How do you think he found the box?" he said and his mother gasped and glared at him.

"Chris! You should have given us the chance to tell him in our own way!" she scolded and the clone looked at her.

"But you weren't were you? You weren't going to tell either of them, even after Lindsey showed up" he said quietly. Both Piper and Leo looked guilty and an awkward silence descended.

"Are ya'll sure it was this Wyatt who turned evil?" Riley suddenly piped up, breaking the silence. "Because that's something I just can't imagine. He sure doesn't seem like the type, if you ask me." Wyatt turned and looked at her, slightly puzzled.

"How do you know I'm not?" he asked quietly. "You don't know me." Riley cocked her head to the side and grinned at him.

"You're right, I don't. But you wouldn't have all these people here who love you if you went over to the Dark Side of the Force" she said cheerfully. Wyatt laughed in surprise and raised an eyebrow.

"Starwars?" he questioned, amused. Riley shrugged, her grin spreading in happiness when Wyatt recognizing the words.

"Hey, it's a classic and I love the series. Nothin's been made since that rivals it" she said and Wyatt laughed again.

"Plus I can also read aura's" Riley continued to explain. "While yours isn't as pure as the driven snow, which I'm sure glad about, it definitely leans loads more towards to the light." Wyatt raised an eyebrow.

"You're glad my aura isn't white?" he asked. Riley laughed quietly and looked up under her lashes at him.

"Oh darlin', that would be borin now, wouldn't it" she said in a low voice, clearly flirting again.

Wyatt flushed and swallowed hard. He stared as Riley smiled coyly up at him, surprise and something deeper in his eyes, before another emotion flittered across his expression and blanked them out. His mouth twisted and he scowled before he quickly turned away. Chris sighed as Riley stared at the back of his head in confusion. So much for guilt not getting in the way.

He turned back to the clone, who was also watching Riley and Wyatt. His expression showed surprise and annoyance, before something seemed to dawn on him. He sighed as well and then a very determined expression filled his eyes. Chris frowned. What was he up to? If he knew himself, and he did, then he was plotting something. Melinda interrupted his thoughts.

"So if you're a ghost, but not quite a ghost, how are you here? And what are you going to do with Bianca?" she asked.

"That's where I come in" Michael said. "As soon as we had realised why Bianca was acting the way she was, I gave Chris the ability to become solid on this plane. He already retained the ability of telekinesis, but that's all. He couldn't have come down here unless we let him, and I thought he could be useful."

Chris's mind was still back at the start of the Elders sentence. He frowned in confusion. "There's a reason why she'd acting this way?" he asked and felt Lindsey go still. Michael looked at him, but the clone ignored him. He was crouching down in front of Bianca, who finally seemed to have come to her senses.

"It's not a complete reason. Bianca still made her own choices. But you could say it had an influence on her" the Elder said. Chris's frown deepened and he turned to look at his ex. Bianca was just raising her head. The first person she saw was the other Chris and she froze.

"Hello Bianca" the other Chris said quietly. Bianca jolted at his voice before she sat up and her gaze shot towards Chris before going back to the clone. She moaned, raised her hand to her hair and began tugging on it sharply.

"I'm not insane, I'm not insane, I'm not insane" she muttered in a raspy voice, sounding like she was saying something she had said many times. The other Chris sighed and he grabbed her hand to stop her hurting herself.

"No Bianca, you're not. It's true. All of it. I'm sorry you had to deal with it alone" he said. Chris frowned once more. What was he talking about? He looked down at Lindsey again when she gasped.

"Oh my god, she remembers! She remembers the other timeline!" she exclaimed and Chris's mouth fell open in shock.

~0~

Her words caused rather a stir.

"What?! How is that possible? Chris doesn't remember and he was the central character!" Wyatt said in disbelief. Michael grimaced.

"That's because of Chris" he said, gesturing at the other Chris. "When Bianca died in the original future, somehow the five year old girl in the past got her memories. We think the only reason Chris didn't when his counterpart died was because he didn't move on like he should have. So Bianca grew up with two sets of memories and it, well, I guess you could say it tainted her."

"Bianca was always a selfish person anyway. The only reason she was better in the original future was because we were all focused on just surviving. Apart from a couple of minor instances, her real personality didn't have much of a chance to develop. But this Bianca grew up with the memory of pain and destruction, betraying her fiancé and in her eyes, him turning his back on her. Then this Chris started drifting away from her as well. I'm guessing it was just too much. She has some memory of Lindsey in the past and then Lindsey shows up here and captures Chris's attention now as well. To her, Lindsey took away the only person that loved her enough for it to last two lifetimes. And if there's one thing Bianca needs, it's to be loved. Doesn't mean she has to love them back. I'm not sure if she even can. As long as they love her, in whatever form, it's enough, and as you well know, she lashes out if she loses it."

Silence once again coated the room at the end of the other Chris's speech. Bianca was staring at him in horror, and she slowly got to her feet, still staring, before she suddenly threw herself into his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, he was supposed to let us go! We were supposed to leave everything behind and live our lives free of Wyatt and his minions!" The other Chris gently pushed her back and shook his head.

"I couldn't have done that. I couldn't have abandoned everything we'd worked for and everyone who was depending on us. The fact that you thought I could means we never would have lasted" he said softly. He sighed and shook his head again. "If you'd only just gone to the Elders the moment you were old enough to recognize that you shouldn't have had those memories. Then this may have all been prevented." Bianca's fake simpering abruptly stopped and she pulled back and sneered at him.

"What, and give up the chance to finally get what I want? That's bullshit. He's mine, just as you were! The only reason he left me is because _she_ showed up!" she said with an ugly glare at Lindsey. "Stupid bitch. I wish that fall had killed her instead of just giving me the chance to steal the brat under the camouflage of a created fake miscarriage."

It was only Chris holding Lindsey back that stopped her from lunging at Bianca, and he only just managed to do that. She snarled and hissed and Chris found himself spitting mad and wanting to rage at her as well. He'd never been so angry in his life. This was the woman he'd been going to marry? God, he'd had one hell of a lucky escape! The other Chris threw Bianca a look of disgust before he turned to Michael.

"What would you guys do to her if you took her?" he asked and Michael looked thoughtful.

"We'd probably just remove her memories, give her a whole new set and send her back down to earth to start a new life" he finally said. Lindsey growled.

"That's not enough! She killed our baby! How can you possibly think that that will be enough of a punishment?!" she cried. Privately Chris agreed with her. It wasn't enough. Michael looked slightly helpless.

"That's all we really can do. We're pacifists, Lindsey, remember. We can't even recycle her. She's a mortal, not an Elder, so we couldn't do that unless it was her time" he explained gently. Lindsey made a very frustrated sound and Chris kissed the top of her head, rubbing her side in slow, soothing circles.

The other Chris frowned at this as well and looked at the Elder. "What if we remove her powers as well? Then she'd truly become mortal and would have more of a chance to start completely over, as well as never being able to contact them" he suggested. Michael looked thoughtful again, and Lindsey continued to grumble. But it was Bianca who made the most noise.

"What?! You can't! You _can't_! What if the memories come back? You'd make me live with _three_ sets of memories?! And no powers? No. No! It's not going to happen! _It's not going to happen!"_

The next series of events, Chris would remember for the rest of his life. Bianca turned and bolted for the front door and Lindsey jerked out of Chris's arms and took off after her. Bianca's head turned as she heard herself being followed and she snarled and formed a sizeable energy ball when she saw who it was. It was the shoes she'd used earlier that foiled her plan. They were lying in the middle of the foyer and Bianca, not looking where she was going, as her focus was on Lindsey, tripped completely over them. She shrieked and landed in the large puddle of water the melted ice chips had formed. Her energy ball went down with her, and Bianca's eyes widened when she realised what was going to happen. She desperately tried to move her hand out of the way of the water in time, but she wasn't able to. When the energy ball hit the water Bianca was lying in… it wasn't pretty. Water conducts electricity, or energy, and the phoenix didn't stand a chance. Her body seized before jerking and flopping, and with a sizzling sound, some smoke and a final scream, she was gone.


	25. The next life

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Michael, Riley and Lindsey

**Quick A/N- OH MY GOD, YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! OVER 100 REVIEWS! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! YOU ALL ROCK! Ahem. Right, now that that's out of my system, another split chapter. I realised it was going to be too long when my fingers started cramping lol. The second half will be up soon, and after that there's just the epilogue to go. Enough boring stuff. On with the story! **

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Chapter Twenty Five – The next life

_Her body seized before jerking and flopping, and with a sizzling sound, some smoke and a final scream, she was gone._

You could've heard a pin drop. Nobody knew what to say or even if they should say anything at all. The silence was total, heavy with both shock and disbelief. Lindsey stared down at the puddle of water in front of her, the only thing left of the phoenix who had destroyed so much of her life. As she stared, an emotion bubbled to the surface, overcoming her surprise, until all she was feeling was extremely satisfied and a little smug. True, she hadn't vanquished her herself, but Bianca had been vanquished all the same. And by herself no less. Wasn't that just karma kicking you up the ass?

"Well that was sure one hell of a way to go. Killed by your own energy ball. Quite fittin really. Sure makes ya'll takin the high road a lot simpler" Riley mused.

"I'll say" Wyatt agreed with a nod of his head.

As Lindsey turned back to the rest of the room, a small smile on her face, she saw the two grin at each other before Wyatt's grin turned to a frown and he turned away again. Lindsey's smile turned into a frown as well as Riley's face fell. Okay, that had to stop. He was sabotaging something before it even had a chance to begin! Putting it to the back of her mind for the moment, she looked around the room and was happy to note that smiles seemed to be creeping across the family's faces as well. Her happiness disappeared when she finished her rounds and her gaze landed on Chris. He was staring at the spot Bianca had fallen, wearing an expression Lindsey couldn't identify. His eyes burned with something, something strong, but she couldn't read what it was. She frowned again and a sudden thought occurred to her.

_What do you think it is, you idiot! He was going to marry her and now she's dead!_ _You can't expect him to be happy about that!_

Lindsey cringed slightly. He hadn't loved her, but he'd thought he had and he'd spent five years of his life in Bianca's company. Watching someone you had invested so much of yourself and your time in die, couldn't have been a very pleasant experience. She quickly made her way over to him. He was still staring at the empty spot and didn't notice her approach until she took his head in her hands and drew his face around. He met her eyes and swallowed hard.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly. Chris swallowed again.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm very glad the person who killed our baby finally got what she deserved, but I'm not sure how I feel about that person being my ex fiancée. I'm sort of conflicted at the moment" he said, just as softly. Lindsey sighed and tried to smooth out the lines on his forehead.

"Would it help if you ignored the fact that she was Bianca and just focused on the justice we've finally received?" she asked. Chris sighed as well.

"That's not as easy to do that as you make it sound. I won't mourn her Lindsey. The woman I knew died long before her body did. But I will mourn for the young man who was looking forward to having a life with her. He's gone now, along with Bianca." Lindsey smiled softly.

"You make yourself sound like an old man" she teased him and Chris chuckled despondently.

"I feel like one sometimes" he murmured. Lindsey huffed, leaned up and kissed him thoroughly, lingering over it. She hummed in pleasure when he began to kiss her back, soon forgetting everything but the sensual enjoyment, including the other people in the room. She only pulled back when a throat was cleared loudly and she smiled up at the dazed desire in Chris's eyes.

"Old men don't kiss like that" she whispered shakily and Chris blinked before letting out a quiet laugh.

"How do you know?" he asked in amusement. Lindsey grinned before patting his arm and pecking him on the cheek.

"I just do" she said, taking his hand and turning him towards the rest of the room. Her eyes met the other Chris's, who was watching to two of them with a sad smile on his face. She returned it.

"How about you? Are you okay?" she asked him. The other Chris nodded.

"He's right. The woman who died here wasn't the woman we respected and admired. Hopefully Bianca will now have the chance to become that woman again, in her next life."

"How can she do that? Won't she come back as a beetle or something?" Melinda asked. The other Chris shrugged.

"She might. It depends if she atones for the mistakes she made in this life first" he said.

"Considering she was a bitch in this future and whiny and selfish in the original one, I don't really see that happening" Kat said matter-of-factly. Lindsey snorted and even Chris smiled.

"Unfortunately, I agree with you" he said. Lindsey squeezed his hand in comfort and was quickly pulled into his arms again. Melinda rolled her eyes.

"What? I feel better with her next to me" Chris said innocently and a warm glow flowed through Lindsey as she heard truth behind his playfulness. She sighed happily. He really did love her.

The happiness left as abruptly as it had come when she thought of what they had lost. How long would this last? How long before he realised that now that they'd lost the only chance they had to become parents, this really wasn't the life he wanted? He loved her now, but would that be enough in ten years' time, when her womb was still empty?

"Well, now that the main reason for you being here in no longer around, I think it's time that you moved on" Michael said and Lindsey looked over at him to see him addressing the other Chris. Piper looked pained.

"Does he have to?" she asked quietly. Lindsey frowned, her gaze going up to Chris's face when she felt him stiffen slightly. Michael nodded.

"I would have thought one Chris in a lifetime was enough" he joked. Both Chris's glared at him and he laughed.

"Seriously though, he does have to move on. This life for him is over and he needs to embrace starting a new one."

The other Chris sighed and nodded reluctantly. "You're right. I do. But there is one thing first. Well two things actually" he said, his eyes flicking between Chris, Lindsey, Wyatt and Riley before settling on the Elder. Michael frowned.

"I've already overstepped my boundaries by bringing you here in the hopes that you might make things a little easier for Bianca. And now you ask this of me as well? Do you _want_ me to be recycled?" he demanded. The other Chris looked at him pleadingly.

"Aww, come on, you know that they won't let you do it if they don't want you to. But if they do, you know what will happen if you ignore this chance!" he said. Michael folded his arms and glared.

"That's just a possibility!" he insisted. The other Chris shook his head.

"No, it's a definite! He needs to get past this and move on and this is the best way for him to do it. And she'll benefit as well. How long can you expect her to just hang around? She'll never move on until he excepts and lets her go. If you don't do this, he'll end up old and alone. Do you really want that to happen?"

Lindsey's gaze flicked between the two as the Elder sighed. What the hell where they talking about? She looked up to meet Chris's eyes. He shrugged at her, looking just as confused as she felt. She frowned and looked back at the other two when Michael continued the conversation.

"And the other one? How do you justify making that happen?" he asked, a stubborn look on his face. The pleading on the other Chris's face intensified.

"Look at what they've gone through. You guys owe this to them. They need this chance. Otherwise she'll spend the rest of her life fretting and wondering what could have happened. It'll be their downfall eventually if you don't do this" he said quietly. Michael stared at his for a long moment before he sighed again.

"Fine" he said and the other Chris grinned widely. "But I can only do it one at a time. Bringing them down will be hard enough, doing both at the same time will be next to impossible." The other Chris nodded eagerly.

"That's okay. Both at once might be a bit too much to handle anyway. Bring her down first. That way I can leave with him" he said.

The Elder nodded as well and Lindsey was just about to demand that they explain what on god's green earth they were talking about, when he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She stilled when the atmosphere around them seemed to tremble, her hold on Chris tightening as a patch of air shimmered and solidified into something. A human something. No, not just human. A girl. A girl of about fifteen was standing where there had been nothing before. She looked completely normal, with long chestnut-blond waves that fell to her shoulders and hazel eyes. Freckles dotting her face randomly and she was wearing a simple pair of black jeans and a red-checked shirt . She smiled as she looked around and Lindsey frowned as Chris, the Charmed Ones and their daughters all gasped, and Wyatt very slowly stood up from the chair where he'd recently taken a seat, a look of complete shock on his face.

"Dear god. That's…" Chris whispered.

"Lydia" Wyatt breathed and the girl turned towards him, her smile widening.

~0~

"Hello Wyatt" Lydia said softly. Lindsey put her hand over her mouth. Lydia? The girl who Wyatt had loved and who had been killed by warlocks? Why was she here? _How_ was she here? Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Riley look between Wyatt and the… ghost? Yes, she must be a ghost. The shifter looked both confused and intrigued. And maybe a little disappointed.

Wyatt shot towards the girl and tried to grab her shoulders, in a move that Lindsey assumed was him trying to draw her into his arms. It didn't work though. His hands went right through her, and he quickly jerked them away and frowned, frustration in his eyes.

"I don't understand. What are you doing here?" Wyatt asked, his voice shaking slightly. He turned to Michael. "You bring her here, and I can't even touch her? Why? Why did you bring her here in the first place?"

"He didn't bring me here Wyatt. Okay, maybe he did, but I wouldn't have come if I didn't want to. He just opened the door. I was the one who chose to step through. I've been waiting for this chance since I died" Lydia said. Wyatt looked only more confused and he ran his hand through his hair.

"What chance? Not that I'm not incredibly happy to see you, but why haven't you moved on?" he demanded. Lydia crossed her arms.

"Because you haven't let me" she said simply. Once again, everyone gasped and the other Chris winced.

"Man, you couldn't have let him down a little easier than that?" he muttered. Lydia flicked a look over her shoulder as him.

"You want us both to move on, blunt is best" she said before turning back to Wyatt. The look in her eyes softened when she saw the expression on his face. He looked shattered.

"What?" he croaked. Lydia sighed.

"Oh Wyatt. I'm so sorry to have to tell you this, but the reason I haven't moved on to the next life is because your guilt and the feelings for me that you're holding onto so tightly are keeping me here. You need to let them go so that you can actually live your life and I can begin a new one" she said. The Twice Blessed looked bewildered.

"But… I love you."

Lindsey's heart broke. Wyatt sounded so lost. This girl had meant the world to him, and here she was, telling him to let her go. Piper made a move to go to him, but Leo pulled her to a stop and shook his head.

"He needs this" Lindsey heard him murmur. Unfortunately, she agreed.

A soft, sad smile had spread across Lydia's face at Wyatt's declaration. She stepped up closer to him and looked into his eyes.

"No you don't. Not anymore. You just think you do. What we shared was fantastic and intense and sweet and everything I could've asked for. I loved you with everything I had. You were it for me, and if I'd lived, we would have been happily married by now. But I didn't live Wyatt. I died and you're acting like you died as well."

"I may as well have" Wyatt muttered and Lydia's eyes widened.

"No! Don't say that! Dammit, I wish I could touch you. I'd smack you upside the head in a heartbeat! You can't think that way! You are alive and you're throwing it all away! And for what? You're letting everything pass you by for no reason at all!"

"But I shouldn't be alive! You should be! It was me they were after! They used you to get to me! It should have been me who died that day, not you!" Wyatt shouted as he turned and strode away from her, then paced back in agitation.

"No it should not have been! It was my time, Wyatt and there was nothing you could have done to stop it from happening."

"If I'd just told you more about my life and about evil, then you wouldn't have been taken by surprise! You would have known what to expect and been suspicious!" The girl shook her head frantically.

"You can't know that! You can't Wyatt!" she said when he just folded his lips stubbornly. "It probably wouldn't have made a difference anyway, because I wouldn't have believed you. I didn't really believe what you _did_ tell me. Magic and the supernatural weren't my thing, remember. It was one of the reason's why you only told me so much in the first place." She sighed and stepped even closer to him. If she'd been solid, Lindsey was sure that she would have been leaning against him.

"My death was not your fault. It was my time and even if you had managed to save me then, I still would've died. You should know that better than anyone. So stop blaming yourself. Cherish the memories you have of us together, but live your life. And let me move on to mine."

Lindsey stood to the side, holding Chris tightly as Wyatt searched the eyes of his childhood sweetheart. Lydia raised her hand and laid it alongside his cheek. Wyatt closed his eyes and leaned towards it and it was if the half inch of space between her hand and his cheek didn't exist.

"Don't feel guilty for not loving me anymore. And please don't feel guilty for maybe starting something with someone else. You're human Wyatt. Human's need companionship. You can take it slow if you need to." She threw a quick look over at Riley, who was still sitting on the sofa, not saying a word, and she smiled slyly before looking back at the Twice Blessed. "I'm sure she won't mind."

Wyatt's eyes snapped open at her words. He looked away and shifted his feet. "I have no idea what you're talking about" he mumbled. Lydia grinned.

"Sure you don't" she said and Wyatt chuckled helplessly, meeting her eyes again. Lydia's grin slowly turned into a wide, extremely happy smile as they stared at each other. She took a step back, breathing deeply and Lindsey could think of only one word to describe her expression. Liberation. She even looked lighter. And it was a look that Wyatt seemed to share.

"Oh, thank you" she breathed, joy filling her eyes. "You won't regret it. I promise you, you won't regret it at all." Wyatt smiled sadly at her.

"You're leaving now, aren't you?" he asked and Lydia nodded, both happiness and pain in her eyes. She was already looked a little less solid. Wyatt sighed.

"I love you Lydia" he said softly, his words very much a goodbye. Lydia smiled.

"I love you too. Thank you for making my life all that much better. Now go live yours." She looked around the room.

"Take care of him" she said, her eyes lingering a little longer on Riley than anyone else. The Southern Belle hesitated before nodding slowly.

"I aim to try" she whispered and the woman and the girl smiled at each other before Lydia turned to look at Wyatt one last time. She grinned at him with wet eyes.

"Do me a favour? Your first date? Make sure the girl wears some clothes" she said cheekily and Wyatt wiped his eyes and nodded, laughing. Lydia quickly joined it and the sound lingered after she had faded away, echoing through the air before it was gone as well.

"Bye" Wyatt murmured before he exhaled roughly and rubbed his face with his hands. He looked down when Riley put her hand on his arm.

"Come on now darlin' sit yourself down. That was an emotional experience, you must be feelin shaky."

Lindsey smiled and rested her head against Chris's shoulder as Riley took Wyatt's hand and drew him back over to the sofa. He smiled at her cautiously, a smile that grew when she returned it with one of her own. He then turned to look at Michael.

"She's been hanging around since she died?" he asked and the Elder nodded.

"But not anymore. She's moved on now" he said and Wyatt looked relieved.

"Good. She needs to find happiness again" he said quietly, his gaze meeting Riley's and not looking away. The other Chris watched the two of them with a satisfied expression on his face. He then turned to Michael as well and raised an eyebrow at him. The Elder frowned.

"Are you sure about this? It'll be harder, and not only for me" he said. The other Chris nodded firmly and Michael sighed before closing his eyes again.

"What's he doing this time?" Tammy whispered to PJ. "We don't have anyone else to bring back."

The girl shrugged and everyone turned to look when once again the atmosphere began to vibrate. It was decidedly more intense this time. Suddenly a small patch of space glowed a faint gold and a little boy, who looked to be about five years old appeared. Lindsey blinked and met a pair of bottle green eyes, and the only thing that stopped her from collapsing when her legs gave way was Chris. Even though he shone with gold, the boy was still the spitting image of his father. And it was very clear to everyone present that he was Lindsey and Chris's son.


	26. Love you baby

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Michael, Riley and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Twenty Six – Love you baby

_Even though he shone with gold, the boy was still the spitting image of his father. And it was very clear to everyone present that he was Lindsey and Chris's son. _

She couldn't stop staring. He was beautiful. Absolutely, completely perfect, and he was right there in front of her. Her baby, the one she'd thought gone forever, was standing in front of her and Chris, smiling a sweet smile. He walked over to them, trailing gold behind him.

"Hello Mommy and Daddy" he said clearly and Lindsey couldn't hold back a slight moan of pain as she stared into what looked like very intelligent eyes. Beside her, Chris let out a strangled cough, choking on the air he had just sucked in sharply. He took a couple more hitching breaths.

"I… I don't understand. I saw him go. H-how is he here now and… ah, how does he have a f-form?"

Chris's whispered bewildered words echoed through the room. None of his fellow witches were able to answer him. They were all struck dumb by the boy's appearance. Piper was holding onto Leo tightly as the couple stared at their grandson, Wyatt had latched almost reflexively onto Riley's hand and tears were once again falling silently down Melinda's cheeks.

"He's here because he was waiting for me and he has a form because souls can't communicate with people while they are spirits. His body isn't real. It's just a depiction of what he would have looked like if he had been born and grown to childhood" the other Chris said gently.

"Chris thought that you might want a proper chance to say goodbye" Michael explained.

"I just really hope it doesn't make it harder instead of easier" the other Chris murmured as he grimaced and ran his hand through his hair.

Lindsey swallowed hard as Chris blew out a heavy breath, the two of them gripping each other tightly. She drew away from him slightly and took a tentative step towards to little boy. Chris followed, his hand still firmly grasped in Lindsey's. The boy's smile grew and he wandered closer as well. Lindsey crouched down.

"H-hello. I'm, umm, well I guess you know who I am considering you called me m-mommy" she whispered. The boy nodded.

"While I'm in this form, I know all I would have known if I'd been born and more" he said, his voice like a high peal of a bell. His eyes switched between his mother and father.

"I'm glad I got to meet you physically, and to know how much you would have loved me. How much you do love me now" he said. Lindsey frowned slightly, her eyes flicking up to meet Chris's before going to the Elder.

"How is he speaking so well if he's only a child?" she asked and Michael shook his head.

"He isn't a child Lindsey. He's a soul. While in this form, a soul is privy to everything it would have known in its human lifetime. And I mean everything. It's only after it's in a womb that it loses that knowledge. So even though he doesn't look older than five at the moment, doesn't mean he only has the experiences and intellect of a child."

"That's also why he looks like a small sun" the other Chris said with a slight grin. The boy grinned as well and Lindsey's breath hitched as a sharp pang went through her. He looked so much like Chris. She tightened her grip on Chris's hand and he crouched down as well, drawing her back until they were both sitting on the floor in front of their son. He smiled hesitantly at him, his eyes not leaving the boy's face.

"Hey there kid. What's your name?" he asked softly and as the boy smiled sweetly again, Lindsey blinked as the answer popped suddenly into her head.

"Max" the boy, Lindsey and Chris all said at the same time. Chris and Lindsey looked at each other in confusion. He'd asked the question, so he'd obviously hadn't known the answer. Yet suddenly they both knew it now.

"His name is Max. Named after my father" Lindsey whispered and she felt tears begin to spill down her cheeks. Chris drew in a shaky breath, a fine tremble running through him constantly, so fine that the only reason Lindsey noticed it was because she was leaning against him. She hugged him hard and they both stared at their son, or whom their son would have been if things had turned out differently. Max smiled back at them gently.

"I'm very sorry to break this up, but Max has to go. It's draining for him to be here. He needs to go and move on to his next life" Michael said, his gentle voice destroying the atmosphere. Lindsey jolted, looked up and began to shake her head frantically.

"No. No, no, no, no. Can't he stay here? He has to stay here! He's ours, isn't he? He can come back to me and be born!" she said, desperately looking between Michael and the other Chris.

"No Lindsey, he can't" Michael said softly. Lindsey moaned again.

"Why the hell not?! She's right, he's ours! He's got to stay with us!" Chris demanded with a furious glare at the Elder, who sighed.

"He's not supposed to be here Chris. He was never supposed to live this life. I'm sorry to say that this was just a learning experience for him."

Chris's face went blank and he slowly got to his feet, drawing Lindsey up as well.

"A learning experience?!" he hissed violently. "You're saying that the life of my son was just a learning experience?! Fuck that! He's my son! My _son!_ I refuse to let him be alone!"

Lindsey turned into Chris as his voice began to shake. Tears were falling steadily now, and it felt like there was a red-hot poker in her chest, burning up what was left of her heart. God, it hurt.

"No, no, please don't be sad. He's right, I'm not meant to be here" Max said, drawing his parents attention back to him. "What he means is that your love, the love I felt even when I was stuck in the Vessel, it changed me. Made me better. Made me stronger. And I'm carry that feeling with me into my next life. That life will be better because I'll already know what it's like to be loved unconditionally. It'll make my life better. You made my next life better."

"He'll do great things Chris. Things the two of you made possible, and things that he could only do because he has the confidence that this brief life gave him" Michael said.

"How do you know?! You can't know that! Elders don't have knowledge of the future!" Chris snapped and Michael's mouth pulled down.

"I was told. I can't tell you by who. I shouldn't have even told you this much. Just know that the source is very, _very_ reliable" he explained. Chris snorted quietly and looked away.

"And he won't be alone, my man. I'll be with him" the other Chris said quietly.

"But he won't be here" Lindsey whispered, her voice shaking as she stared down at her son.

"Don't cry Mommy. I'll always be here. In your heart, I'll always be here. And you'll see me again. The souls of people who are meant to be together circle each other, so I guarantee you'll see me again" Max said. Lindsey sobbed and turned into Chris again, gripping his shaking hand.

"Come on son, It's time to go" the other Chris said, holding out his hand. Max turned to look at him before glancing back a Lindsey and Chris.

"Wait. They need something" he said as he reached up and drew his mother around.

Lindsey gasped as he took her hand. His touch felt like constant static electricity, warm and buzzing over her skin. He drew her down to crouch in front of him again and raised his hand to her face. Her eyes widened as the buzzing feeling intensified, spreading from his hand and into her. She choked on her breath as her insides filled to the brim with a fizzing warmth. She looked down at her hand in wonder and saw she was glowing faintly gold. The gold flowed through and across her, spreading from her to Chris, and he jerked as it hit his injured shoulder, bloomed slightly brighter and then retreated. They both stared in shock at the perfectly normal limb it left behind. He had healed him. Their son had healed his father. How was that possible?

The golden current didn't last for long. After it had left Chris, it flowed back through Lindsey, leaving her tingling, and then drew back into Max. After a moment, the little boy stepped back, smiling in satisfaction.

"There. You'll be happy now" he said as his eyes met Chris's and then went back to Lindsey. She opened her mouth to ask what he had done and how he'd healed Chris when he turned back to the other Chris.

"I'm ready to go" he said, walking towards his father. Lindsey couldn't stop the negative sound of denial she made, or the step forward she took. The other Chris looked up.

"Don't you trust me to take care of him?" he asked. Lindsey sniffed and her brow furrowed.

"Of course I do" she said.

"Well let me do it then. I promise you I'll be by his side. I'm his father as well beautiful."

"But how can you know that?!" Chris demanded in frustration, clenching and unclenching over and over again, the hand that wasn't holding Lindsey's. "You don't get to choose where you go or who you end up with!" The other Chris looked frustrated as well.

"You'll just have to trust me. I was promised that we would be together, by the same source that told Michael what he needed to know. Our son will need a guide and that's me."

The couple stared at the two of them for a long moment before Lindsey turned to Chris and met his eyes, desperation streaming from her. Chris leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"It's the next best thing, love. I don't want to let him go either, but at least he'll have family beside him" he whispered. Lindsey sighed and stepped into his arms, turning her head to look at the Elder.

"He'll have a good life?" she asked in a small voice and Michael nodded.

"He'll have the best life. He'll be a very strong force of good. One of the strongest. He'll grow up happy and healthy and save many innocent lives. And when the time is right, you and Chris will meet him again."

"I still don't understand why he can't have that life here" she muttered. Michael smiled gently.

"Because it isn't his destiny. This was a stepping stone in the journey to his ultimate calling. A crucial one that made him achieving that destiny a lot easier. You made it possible for his next life to be long and magical and everything you would ever hope it could be" he said.

Lindsey sighed again and closed her eyes, resting her forehead against Chris's shoulder before opening them again and looking up to meet Chris's eyes again. Gathering courage from the complete and total support she found there, she took a deep breath and turned to look into her sons eyes. As she let it out again, she gradually felt herself begin to accept what Michael and the other Chris were telling them. It was hard, terribly hard, but she had to do it. She had to let her baby go, so he could move on to a bigger, better life and destiny. Max smiled as he sensed her gradual acceptance.

"Thank you. Remember that I love you and your love made me strong and good. It made me worthy of my next life" he said. Lindsey smiled at him through her tears.

The other Chris smiled as well and turned to his family, who even though they hadn't said a word, were all now crying silently, the men included. He grinned at Piper.

"So I guess this is goodbye" he said. Piper nodded, sniffed and walked over to hug him.

"I guess it is" she said. They hugged each other tightly.

"I'll miss you" he said. Piper sighed and stepped back, crouching down in front of her grandson and running her hand over his hair. Max grinned at her. The other Chris smiled when Leo took her place.

"Enjoy the life you helped create" he said and Leo laughed as they hugged.

"I thought I was already doing that" he teased before ruffling Max's hair and then smoothing it down again. One by one everyone else stepped forward to give a hug of goodbye. The other Chris ran his hand up and down Melinda's arm when she came forward.

"I always wanted a sister" he said softly. Melinda grinned through her tears.

"Good thing you've got one then" she said before throwing herself at him. They hugged and then she stepped back to let her aunts say their goodbyes.

"I'm glad you were a lot more forthcoming with information this time" Phoebe said as she hugged him. The other Chris laughed as she stepped back to let her sister in.

"No he wasn't. He was just as cryptic as before. Didn't you hear that last part?" Paige said with a look at Phoebe. The middle Charmed One rolled her eyes as the other Chris's chuckles continued. They stepped back to let Wyatt in and Phoebe smiled at Max while Paige winked at him.

"Bye little dude" she said and Max smiled back at them before turning to his father and uncle. The Twice Blessed shook the other Chris's hand before slapping him on the back.

"Good suits you a whole lot better than evil does brother" the other Chris said. Wyatt smiled.

"I'll have to take your word for that" he said before taking Riley's hand again and drawing her back to the sofa after she'd hugged the other Chris, who looked slightly surprised at her actions. There were tears in his eyes when he turned to Lindsey and Chris.

"Don't stuff this up mate. I went to too much trouble for you to throw it all away" he said and Chris grinned.

"I don't intend to" he said with a soft look at Lindsey, who smiled back at him before turning to the other Chris. He walked over, reached out and brushed her hair back off her shoulder.

"See ya beautiful" he murmured, catching a tear as it ran down her cheek. "Please try and be happy. It's the reason I did all this, you know."

Lindsey nodded, holding back the rest of her tears. She sighed as he leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

"Take care of our son" she whispered. He nodded.

"I will" he promised before stepping back and taking Max's hand. The little boy smiled up at him before turning his sweet smile on Chris and Lindsey.

"We will see each other again" he said and Lindsey nodded.

"Yes. We will" she stated.

"Count on it" Chris agreed. Lindsey let the tears flow as the other Chris grinned and waved, looking around the room at the rest of his family, and Max copied him. They began to fade until they were nothing more than air, and then they were gone, leaving only a faint golden glow behind them. Lindsey trembled, turned to Chris who was shaking as well, and broke.

~0~

Two weeks later, Chris woke to find the bed beside him empty. It was two o'clock in the morning and the only place Lindsey should have been was next to him. He sighed. It was Christmas morning, but he really didn't feel like celebrating.

Lindsey was pulling away from him. He could feel it. She had been since the day after the other him and Max had gone. And it wasn't only that that was making her distant. She had something else on her mind, but she wasn't talking to him about it. Instead she was stewing and drawing herself further and further back from him.

He got out of bed and sat on the side of it, rubbing his chest as that thought made it ache. He didn't want to lose her. She was his entire world. But if he didn't do something soon, he feared that that was exactly what was going to happen.

He frowned in determination, got up and headed for the door. He would sort this. He _had _to sort this. He knew where she would be. The same place she always seemed to be when she was avoiding him. He left his room and headed up the stairs to the attic.

He stepped into the room to see Lindsey throwing something into the potion pot. She looked up and gave him a polite smile.

"Hey. I just had an idea. If we mix dragonfly wings and evergreen sap, we could-"

"Do you not want to be with me anymore?"

Lindsey's mouth fell open at his abrupt question. Chris leaned against the doorframe, folded his arms and looked at her with a raised eyebrow while she spluttered.

"What? What are you talking about? Of course I do!" Chris sighed and walked further into the room.

"Then why are you treating me like a stranger?" Lindsey blinked and looked away.

"I'm not" she mumbled. Chris huffed out a breath in frustration.

"Yes you are. We haven't had a proper conversation in two weeks, and every time I go to kiss you, you turn away. What's going on?" Lindsey sighed.

"Nothing's going on. We just lost our son. I think I'm entitled to a little mourning" she said as she turned back to the pot.

Chris walked over and took the spoon out of her hand. "I know you better than that. Yes, you're mourning for Max, so am I, but it's more than that. Please tell me what's wrong. I can't handle you being so distant."

"Chris…"

He took her hands and drew her to her feet. "You're making me think you don't want anything to do with me. That you don't love me anymore" he said. "I don't want to lose you Lindsey."

She sighed and pulled away from him. "You're not going to lose me" she said, running a hand threw her hair and making it fly around wildly. She looked at him pleadingly.

"You can't just drop this and let me work through it myself?"

"Not when the smile falls off your face the moment I walk into the room."

Lindsey grimaced and began to pace. "Okay, okay, fine. You want to know what's wrong? I'll tell you. I've just been wondering how long this is going to last, that's all."

Chris's face fell and he turned away. "So you do want to break up with me."

"What!? No! I'm not the one who's going to break us up Chris. You are. You're going to leave me one of these days. I'm just trying to make it easier on myself."

Chris spun round and stared at her, baffled. What the hell was she talking about?

"Lindsey, I love you. I not going to leave you" he said, his voice ripe with confusion. Lindsey sighed again.

"You will when you want the family that I can't give you" she muttered. Chris blinked as realisation flowed through him.

"Is that what the problem is? You think that you not being able to have kids is a deal breaker for me?"

Lindsey looked at him sorrowfully. "Well isn't it?" she asked softly. Chris frantically shook his head.

"No! Of course it isn't! I love you Lindsey, more than I even thought possible! I never imagined that I could ever feel this deeply for someone, not even when I was going to marry Bianca! I don't care that you can't have kids!"

He stopped and held up his hand as Lindsey looked like she was going to dispute that. "Okay, so that wasn't entirely honest. I do care. I want a family. And not just any family, I want one with you. Holding our baby would make me the happiest man in the world."

He strode towards her and took her by the shoulders when she turned away from him, her expression crumbling. He raised his hand to her cheek.

"But I care mainly because it hurts you. It being our baby doesn't mean it has to come from your body Lindsey. Yes, I would love that, but that isn't the only way to have a family. Just look at Aunt Paige, Uncle Henry and Henry Jnr. He isn't biologically theirs, but he's still theirs. I have no objection to adoption beautiful. None whatsoever."

"But won't you feel cheated?" Lindsey whispered. Chris sighed and shook his head.

"No. How could I ever feel cheated when we've given some unfortunate child the home and love he or she deserves? And I will love it, just as much as if it had come from us. You will too, won't you?"

Lindsey nodded as she searched his eyes. Slowly, the tension she'd been carrying around inside her for two weeks, or longer than that if she was honest with herself, drained away.

"You really mean that" she whispered, a statement more then a question. Chris sighed again.

"Of course I do. I am so completely in love with you Lindsey and any way we decide to have a family is okay by me. It's as simple as that. I think that maybe this is more about you then me" he said. Lindsey looked away guiltily before she took a deep breath and looked back at him.

"I miss him so much and it hurts that I won't ever get another chance" she whispered. Chris drew her into his arms.

"I know it does honey, but we'll work through it together. We can handle anything if were together" he said. Lindsey sighed and buried her face into his throat.

"Chris?" she whispered.

"Hmmm?" he answered as he ran his hand up and down her back.

"I'm so completely in love with you as well" she said as she pulled back to watch the relief flowing through his eyes. "I'm sorry I'm so messed up." Chris chuckled.

"Oh beautiful, you're not the only one who's messed up. I'm still trying to deal with trying to fill my own shoes."

Lindsey frowned. "What do you mean?" she asked. Chris looked away and shifted his feet.

"It, ah… well it's a little hard when an earlier version of myself shows up and my parents are so ecstatically happy about it, and then they mourn when he's gone. It sort of make me feel… well that I'm not living up to his legacy" he mumbled, embarrassed. "Plus then there's you. You loved him first."

He looked around again when Lindsey took his head into her hands.

"Chris, listen to me. Yes, I loved him. I'm not going to deny that. I can't. The two of you are the same but also totally different. I like those differences as much as, if not more, as I like the similarities. But my love for you, it's going to do what it never had the chance to do with him. You're going to give me what I wasn't given the chance to get from him. It's going to grow as we grow. In a few years, hell probably in as little as a month or so, my love for you will be completely different from what I felt for him. It'll be more. It'll change and develop and we'll start a life that'll be very different from what I had with him."

She stepped into his arms and rested her head on his chest. "That still doesn't mean I won't miss him occasionally. I won't be able to help it. But it won't be often, because you're here. I loved him, but you… you're everything. My everything and I couldn't be happier."

She stepped back again and looked into his eyes, smiling when she saw a tear run down his cheek.

"It's the same with Piper and Leo. They loved him, but they love you just as much, probably more. Don't ever think that they don't. You're their son. They don't expect you to fill his shoes. You being you is more then enough. They've had you and loved you for almost 23 years. Nothing can compare to that."

Chris stared at her silently for a long time, before he sighed and rested his forehead against hers again. "God, what did I ever do without you?" he murmured as he leaned back to gently brush her lips with his. Lindsey grinned.

"Thankfully you'll never have the chance to find that out again" she said. Chris chuckled.

"Come on. It's the middle of the night. I think it's time we went back to bed" he said as he took her hand. He blinked at the wicked smile that slowly spread across Lindsey's face.

"Yes. Yes, I think it is" she murmured before jerking his around, pulling his face down and kissing him with everything she had.

Chris jolted in surprise as she tongue scraped across his lower lip, almost begging for entrance. He moaned and opened his mouth, kissing her back just as frantically. He pulled her against him and they explored each other's mouths until Lindsey broke the kiss and attacked his throat with her lips. Chris groaned roughly, his hand moving down to grip her backside. Lindsey shuddered and shifted restlessly before pulling back slightly.

"Bed. Now" she said, her voice coming out in rough pants. Chris stilled before pulling back even more and looking into her beautiful Amethyst eyes. Eyes that at the moment were clouded with heavy desire.

"Are you sure?" he asked in a breathless voice. Lindsey nodded.

"More than I've been. I love you Chris. It's time. Come to bed with me" she said as she held out her hand.

Chris didn't even hesitate. He grinned and took her hand, pulling her back into his embrace and kissing her urgently again.

"Best Christmas present ever" he murmured after he'd pulled back and the attic echoed with Lindsey's laughter as they orbed away.

* * *

**Just the epilogue to go.**


	27. Epilogue (Amethyst Eyes)

Future Consequences.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything apart from the plot, Riley and Lindsey

* * *

Chapter Twenty Seven – Epilogue (Amethyst Eyes)

"_Best Christmas present ever" he murmured after he'd pulled back and the attic echoed with Lindsey's laughter as they orbed away. _

**Thirteen Months Later**

The Halliwell Manor buzzed with excitement and nerves as females of all ages roamed the second story. They chattered constantly as they got dressed and put on makeup, but none were more excited than the woman of the hour. Kat Mitchell sat in front of a full-length mirror in Paige's and then Melinda's old room as her mother did her hair. Her makeup was already done and Lindsey sat and watched her as the younger witch ran her hand down the dress that hung beside her reverently, a mixture of awe, terror and eagerness on her face. Today she was wedding day and although Lindsey knew that Kat was looking forward to it, she also knew she wanted it over and done with.

She'd lost count of how many times Kat had thrown up her hands over the past year and vowed that she was just going to grab Andrew and get the deed done down at a registry office. She wasn't a patient person, which being pregnant hadn't helped, and all the fuss and bother that her mother, aunts and her soon to be mother-in-law were creating over a twenty minute ceremony stressed her out a number of times. But Tammy, Lindsey and the others had talked her out of it just as many times and now here they were, on the big day.

Lindsey turned to face her own mirror, patted her hair that was up in an elaborate style for the occasion and smoothed down her own dress. It was a beautiful, unconventional silvery black – very unconventional considering it was a bridesmaid dress. The two witches had become close over the past year and a bit – she smirked as she thought that being kidnapped together might have something to do with that – and Lindsey had immediately said yes when Kat had asked her. She'd been slightly worried at first, as PJ and Mel weren't part of the wedding party and she'd thought that she was stealing one of their places, but the two girls soon put her fears to rest. Even though she was family, they'd never really gotten any closer than being cousins with Kat, as she spent a lot of her time with Andrew. The two of them had been best friends as children and had fulfilled everyone's expectations when they'd gotten together in high school. So they didn't automatically expect to be part of her wedding just because they were related. Lindsey had been very relieved, and now her, another friend of Kat's from high school and Tammy, who was maid of honour were getting ready with the bride. She smiled at herself, stood up and was just about to go over to Paige and Kat to see if she could help, when the door swung open and Riley sauntered in, a large smile on her face. The smile grew when she saw Kat.

"Well now, sugar, look at you! You look wonderful! Your man's tongue is sure to fall right out of his head!" Kat beamed back at her.

"Thanks! You think so? God, I'm nervous! I never expected to be this nervous! What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be out directing Chris and Wyatt around?"

Lindsey looked at Riley speculatively as the shape-shifters smile spread further. Wyatt and Riley hadn't had an easy time of it. Even though he'd let Lydia go, in the beginning the Twice Blessed had still had bouts of misplaced guilt, and he'd done his best to push Riley away. She hadn't let him though. Lindsey had once asked her why she kept pursuing him. Most woman would have giving up by then. Riley had just looked at her and said she wasn't really sure. She'd just felt an instant connection to him the moment she'd woken up on the sofa that day, and then learning all he'd been through with Lydia had just made her more determined to give him the happy ending she felt he deserved. And she had eventually. Her persistence had paid off and Wyatt had eventually stopped cancelling their dates.

He'd been acting weird lately though. Jumpy and nervous. Riley had come to Lindsey a little worried about it, as the two of them had gotten close as well. The Ravenblood witch hadn't thought there was much to worry about, as she knew how much Wyatt adored Riley. But Chris was unusually closed mouthed about it as well, which had gotten Lindsey intrigued. What was the oldest Halliwell son up to?

"They're almost finished settin up out there, so there's no need to direct. Sorry to barge in, but I just had to tell you." She turned and grinned at Lindsey. "Wyatt asked me to move in with him!"

Lindsey felt a large grin spread across her face at Riley's announcement, and she rushed across the room to wrap the smaller woman up in her arms.

"Oh wow, that's fantastic! Finally! I take it you said yes?" she asked as she pulled back. Riley laughed.

"Sure did sugar. He pulled me aside not half an hour ago and asked me. He was all nervous and everythin. It was real cute. It's what he hadn't wanted to talk about these past couple of weeks as well. He said he hadn't been sure of my answer. Stupid man. Course I was gonna say yes. I love him!" She looked surprised and put her hand over her mouth. "Ah, maybe y'all don't mention that to him just yet okay? I haven't exactly told him yet myself."

Lindsey looked at her, amused. "You should you know. Tell him, that is. I think you'll be surprised at what his reaction will be" she said. Riley sighed.

"I know, but I really don't want to scare him off" she said. Kat snorted.

"You've been together almost a year. If that were going to happen, it would have happened by now. You're not exactly low maintenance Riley" she said, and then winced as Tammy choked on her breath and her mother sent her a glare.

"Dammit. Sorry. My brain's seriously not connected to my mouth today" she said. Riley laughed.

"Oh hun, when is it ever?" she asked, making everyone else laugh. Kat looked sheepish. "You're right though. I'm not low maintenance. But Wyatt seems to be okay with that, so I don't really care."

"And so you shouldn't. Just ignore me. My family does it all the time" Kat said with a rueful grin at her twin, who grinned back.

"So are you going to move into the staff accommodation at Magic School or get your own place together?" Tammy asked. Riley shrugged.

"Not too sure yet. Obviously he can't move in with me. Don't think my roommate in the dorm will take too kindly to that. She was hard enough to deal with when Wyatt would bring me home late at night."

"Not to mention the times she walked in on you two" Lindsey said with a grin. Riley grinned back and shrugged again.

"Hey, she was the one who chose to ignore the scarf on the doorknob. I thought that sign was universal" she said. Paige looked slightly pained.

"Not really sure I want to hear about my nephew and what the two of you get up to" she said as she turned back to the mirror. Kat looked up at her and grinned as well.

"It's the same thing Andrew and I have been doing for a while now and will most definitely do tonight" she teased her mother. Paige put her hands over her ears.

"Ugh. Don't tell me that" she said. Lindsey cocked an eyebrow at her.

"So I'm guessing you don't want me to tell them some of the things you got up to when you were younger? Before Henry? Like maybe the time you had trouble… ah, shall we say, finishing?" Paige spun around, looking shocked.

"How do you know about that? Only Piper knows about that!" Lindsey folded her arms and threw her a look of amusement.

"You orbed into my room momentary the night before you discussed it with her. I was just about to enter the kitchen the next morning when the conversation began. I knew you would stop talking about it as soon as I entered, so I stopped outside the door and…"

"You eavesdropped" Paige accused with narrowed eyes. Lindsey grinned at her.

"I learnt from the best" she said and Paige huffed. Kat, Tammy and Riley were all looking between the two, almost like a tennis match, before Tammy and Kat grinned at each other and looked eagerly at Lindsey.

"Soooo. These stories. You want to pass them on?" Tammy asked and Kat nodded. Paige glared at Lindsey and pointed a finger at her.

"Don't you dare" she warned. Lindsey smirked and was about to answer her when the door opened again. It was Rachel, Kat friend from high school and second bridesmaid.

"Andrew's all ready to go and the conservatory looks great. The guests are just starting to arrive" she said with a pointed look at Riley. The shape-shifter rolled her eyes.

"Well then, I better go and let y'all get the bride into that amazin dress" she said as she turned to the door. Lindsey caught her arm just before she headed out of it.

"What about our apartment?" she suggested quietly. "Chris and I are moving into the house in a couple of weeks and it'll be up for rent again. I'm sure the landlords would love not to have to search for more tenants." Riley looked intrigued.

"Hhmmm… It sure is a nice place, and not too far from the University."

"And it already has a door to Magic School activated so you don't have to worry about that. Not that Wyatt needs one. But you might. Chris comes to visit me up there all the time. He says he likes to watch me in my element." Riley smirked.

"Lindsey, darlin, that man just likes to watch you altogether" she said. Lindsey flushed slightly before grinning back at her.

"But it's a really good idea. Let me run it past Wyatt and get back to you okay?" Riley continued. Lindsey nodded and once the shape-shifter had left, she turned back to the room. Kat was standing and Paige had just lifted the dress off the hook.

"Let's get you into this thing" she said and all three girls helped her slip the dress over her head. It fluttered down over six-months-along baby bump and settled at her feet. Lindsey stepped back to get the full effect and smiled. Perfect. Kat looked like a fertile earth Goddess. In other words, she looked spectacular. Andrew's eyes and tongue really were going to fall out of his head. Tammy sighed and threw her arm around her twins shoulder.

"Time to get you married" she said and Kat sighed as well.

"Finally" she said with a grin as she rubbed her swollen belly. Paige chuckled.

"Come on Miss impatient. Your dad's waiting, and so is your very-close-to-being husband" she said as she helped her daughter into her low kitten heals and lead her out the door, the bridal party following close behind.

~0~

The wedding was a tear jerker. The bride and groom looked ecstatic to be marrying each other and Lindsey was very happy that Kat had found someone who expected her as she was. After the ceremony, everyone headed to Triquetra for the reception. Lindsey sat at the head table and watched as Kat and Andrew enjoyed themselves on the dance floor. She'd been dancing with her corresponding groomsman when she'd bowed out, citing a headache. She didn't have a headache per se, but she did feel… off. Not quite 100% and she wasn't sure why.

She'd been feeling like this for a few days now. She wasn't sick. She was sure she wasn't. But she'd been off her food and she wasn't sleeping all that well. Plus every once in a while she would get this feeling. Like a miniscule curling, or wavering inside her. And the feeling seemed to be becoming more significant every time she felt it. It was weird, as well as being a tiny bit familiar. The only other time she'd felt something like that was when… she shook her head. No. That was impossible.

She looked over as a hand appeared in her line of vision, and she smiled up at her boyfriend as Chris grinned down at her.

"Wanna dance beautiful?" he asked and Lindsey put aside her offness and took his hand.

"Love to" she said. She could never turn down a dance with the man she loved. She got up and Chris led her out onto the dance floor. She sighed as she moved into his embrace, laughing a little when the song conveniently became slow. She looked at Chris, who grinned.

"What? They've played far too many fast ones anyway" he said innocently and Lindsey laughed again before laying her head against his chest.

"Have I told you how stunning you look tonight?" he asked and Lindsey smiled.

"Only about a dozen times" she answered. "You don't look too bad yourself. A suit really suits you. No pun intended" she said as Chris laughed.

"Well, I do try" he said as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Lindsey grinned before settling back against him.

"We move into our house in two weeks" she murmured. Chris kissed the top of her head and rubbed his hand up and down her back as they swayed to the music.

"That we do" he answered, his voice rumbling through his chest. Lindsey smiled to herself.

"I can't wait" she said and listened to her boyfriend's chuckles as they vibrated through him. Chris had found an apartment about three months after Max had moved on and he'd asked Lindsey to move into it with him. They'd basically already been living together anyway, since they hadn't spent a night apart since Lindsey had had that nightmare. She'd had a couple more since, but Chris had always been there to comfort and settle her again.

Lindsey had immediately said yes when he'd asked and they'd officially moved into together. About seven months later Chris had found a rundown old property a few blocks away from the Manor. It had needed some serious work, but Lindsey had fallen in love with it the first time Chris had shown it to her. So they'd pooled their money – which Lindsey was very happy to say she could actually do since she was now a teacher at Magic School and that earned a bit more then bar tending. She'd told Chris about Wyatt's offer a couple of days after Christmas, wanting to know his opinion, and he had been all for it. A week later she'd started and she loved it. She loved her students and she loved the satisfaction she got when they were finally able to exert a little control.

So their money had been pooled and they'd bought the place, and with a lot of family help, Leo especially, (and maybe a little bit of magic, though not too much. Personal Gain) it was finally ready to move into. Lindsey was really looking forward to it and it was everything Chris had always wanted as well. It had a big back yard, a decent kitchen and three bedrooms. They weren't sure how they were going to use the extra bedrooms yet, but Lindsey was hoping that somewhere along the line, the subject of adoption would come up again. She smiled to herself. Fingers crossed.

"So… are you going to tell me what's up with you?"

Lindsey stepped back slightly and looked up into Chris's eyes. He was looking at her with a questioning and worried look in his eyes. She sighed.

"Nothing's wrong" she said and Chris scoffed lightly.

"You haven't slept a full night in a week and you pick at your food. You've lost weight, and you know I don't like it when you shrink. I love your body the way it is" he said. Lindsey scowled.

"It's not like I can help it" she muttered. Chris nodded firmly.

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. Did you think I wouldn't notice? There's something wrong with you and I want to know what it is so we can deal with it." Lindsey raised an eyebrow.

"Demanding, aren't you?" she stated. Chris shrugged.

"When it comes to you and your health and safety, I am" he said. Lindsey sighed and shook her head.

"That's the thing though. I don't think anything's wrong with me. Not really. I don't feel sick. No actual nausea or anything like that. I just feel… not quite right. Off my game. Something's different but I'm not sure what it is."

"Maybe you need to make a doctor's appointment" Chris suggested, his eyes even more worried as he gently brushed his fingers over her cheek. Lindsey shook her head.

"No. I'll be fine. It'll pass. And if it doesn't, you can heal me" she said. Chris frowned down at her.

"So bloody stubborn" he muttered. Lindsey grinned.

"That's why you love me" she cheerfully stated. Chris snorted.

"One of the reasons anyway" he sighed. Lindsey chuckled, stepping quickly out of the way to avoid a wildly dancing couple. Sometime during their talk, the music had changed from slow to fast again.

She turned back to Chris, blinking as the room spun with her movement. She opened her mouth to speak and then gasped suddenly as the room didn't stop spinning like she expected it to. In fact, it increased, and as that unfurling feeling erupted inside her again, her body swayed violently and her vision swarmed with darkness.

"Chris…" she whispered, slightly terrified, and the last thing she knew before her brain shut down her body crumpled in on itself was a pair of strong arms catching her before she hit the floor.

~0~

"Look, she's coming out of it. Her eyelids are fluttering. Come on sweetie, open your eyes now."

Lindsey struggled to swim up through the blackness towards the expanding light. The nothingness that surrounded her was incredibly heavy, making it hard push her way through.

"Lindsey, open your eyes. You're scaring the bejesus out of Chris."

It was this voice that got her moving. Chris needed her to be aware, so she would be. She shoved her surroundings out of the way, zoomed towards the here and now and suddenly her eyes were open. She blinked against the strong light and felt a large relieved sigh wash over her face. She carefully angled her head up and looked into extremely concerned bottle green eyes. She blinked again, trying to figure out what had happened before she scrunched up her nose.

"Oh God, please don't tell me I fainted in the middle of Kat's wedding reception" she croaked and then coughed. Chris frowned down at her. He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. Lindsey figured she must be leaning against him.

"You did, and if you ever frighten me like that again, I will kill you" he said softly, his lips tickling her skin as he spoke. He leaned further forward and brushed them against hers before resting his cheek on the top of her head, his arms tightening around her. "So much for there being nothing wrong with you."

But Lindsey wasn't concentrating on his words. Her entire focus was suddenly inward. The unfurling was back, blazing inside her. She gasped and her hand came up to rest against her stomach. No. It can't be! It was impossible. It was _impossible!_ Her eyes shot up to Chris.

"Help me up" she whispered. He frowned.

"I think lying down is better at the moment" he said. Lindsey shook her head.

"No, please, I need to be up. I think… please, just help me up."

Chris's frown deepened as he looked into her eyes. He slowly nodded and drew himself and her off the sofa, holding her hand in a firm grip. He watched her closely.

"What's the matter?" he asked. Lindsey shook her head and laughed softly.

"Nothing. If I'm right, everything is perfect" she said. Chris frowned again.

"If you're right?" he questioned. Lindsey nodded as she smiled at him.

"Yeah, if I am, though I don't see how I can be, as this isn't possible-"

"Wanna cut to the chase there sugar? You've got everyone on tenterhooks here" Riley said. Lindsey turned around, noticing for the first time that they were in Chris's office and the room was filled with very concerned Halliwells. The Charmed Ones were all standing next to her, their husbands beside them, and their children and partners spread through the room. She took a deep breath and turned back to Chris.

"I think… I think I might be pregnant."

Everyone froze. Lindsey swallowed and stared into Chris's eyes as his mouth dropped open. He finally blinked, his face twisted in confusion.

"But… you can't be. You said it before. It isn't possible" he said. Lindsey grimaced.

"I know it's not, but this feels exactly like it did with Max. Well, maybe not exactly. It's almost as if it's more this time. I'm recognising it a little later then I did with him, but I think that's because of the impossibility of it. I immediately turned away from that explanation whenever I felt the life force. And it would explain everything else as well. The not being hungry, having trouble sleeping, losing weight. And the offness, though I didn't faint last time. Sorry about that" she said as she turned to Kat. "Great way to take attention away from the happy couple." Kat shook her head.

"Don't worry about it. I just glad you're okay. It does sound like pregnancy symptoms though. That's the way I felt six months ago."

"And every pregnancy is different" Piper said as she rested her hand on Lindsey's shoulder. "Fainting in early pregnancy is very common and just because it didn't happen the first time around, doesn't mean it's not going to happen the next time."

Lindsey smiled at her before she looked back at her boyfriend, who still looked rather shell-shocked as he contemplated the floor. She frowned in concern. He was happy about this, wasn't he?

"Chris?" she whispered as she moved closer to him. His head jerked up and she gasped as his eyes burned. She was suddenly yanked against him.

"We're going to have a baby" he whispered roughly with his head buried in the crook of her neck. A large, warm hand cupped her stomach, just under where hers still rested, and Lindsey smiled widely at the joy she heard in his words. Her eyes widened as the life forces seemed to flare in response. She frowned. Wait a minute. Life forces? Plural? She gasped and then laughed quietly.

"Ah, better make that two babies" she said just loud enough for Chris to hear. He went still again and then pulled back slightly to stare at her, stupefied.

"_Two_ babies?" he rasped. Lindsey grinned at him as everyone else drew in shocked breaths.

"Ah huh. Twins" she said.

"Well no wonder it seems more this time! Congratulations, Mommy!" Melinda exclaimed as she rushed over to hug Lindsey. She stepped back and gave her brother a huge smile. "And you too Daddy!"

"Daddy. I'm going to be a daddy again" he breathed. Piper laughed softly.

"You sure are" she said as she hugged him. They were soon swarmed with hugs of congratulations. Lindsey felt like her smile was going to spilt her face.

"But how? Isn't it that you can't now?" Kat asked and then sighed as everyone turned to stare at her. "I'm not being rude, or at least not meaning to be. I'm just wondering how it can happen."

"I was wondering that myself" Lindsey said as she smiled at Kat. "It should be impossible, but somehow it isn't. I'm pregnant and I don't know how." She grimaced when Paige snorted, Melinda smirked and Riley masked a laugh with a cough. "Okay, so I know how. You know what I mean!"

"I think I can help answer your questions" a voice said and everyone spun round to stare at the person who hadn't been there before. Lindsey blinked when she recognised the Angel of Destiny that had told her and Chris that she could go to the future, and then told her she could still go after he'd died. It was the same Angel who had told Piper and Leo they were expecting Wyatt. Lindsey stepped closer to Chris and he drew her back into his arms, his hand once again resting on her stomach. Piper raised an eyebrow.

"You're willing to pass along information about the future?" she asked, surprised. The Angel shook his head.

"Not about the future. About how Lindsey was able to get pregnant again when it shouldn't have been possible. I can't really tell you much, but you can guess. Because if I don't tell you something, she'll fret about it and it'll disrupt her happiness, as well as the next generations."

"So was I always able to get pregnant? Is the Queen's curse gone?" Lindsey asked eagerly. The Angel shook his head again.

"No, it's not gone. Up until a year ago, you were still infertile. You've just been, shall we say, reset" he said. Lindsey's shoulders sagged and Chris's arms tightened around her.

"By who? Did you guys do it?" Leo asked.

"No. You should know that we don't have that power. Someone else did. Someone who was worried about Lindsey and Chris's happiness and decided to do something about it."

Lindsey frowned as she tried to figure out what the Angel was hinting at. Who would be so concerned about her and Chris that they would do something like this? She turned to look at Chris when he stiffened.

"Max" he breathed. Lindsey frowned again as he met her eyes.

"Remember? He enveloped you in gold!"

"But he only did that to heal you" Lindsey said as her frown deepened. Chris shook his head.

"If he only wanted to heal me, he wouldn't have had it flow through you first. It was you he was healing. I just got the benefits." Lindsey turned to look at the Angel in shock.

"Is that true?" she asked. The Angel smiled and nodded.

"Though remember, he didn't heal you. He just turned your biological clock back. And don't ask me how, because I don't know. Souls are very powerful beings, _very_ powerful. Until they're reborn, they can basically do anything they want."

"Well that's a scary thought. What if the soul's dark? Can a soul be dark?" Tammy asked. The Angel looked at her.

"Yes they can. Why do you think some humans do evil things? It's the reason why The Tribunal made it so that souls move into their next body and life straight away, so they can't make any big changes to The Grand Design. The reason Max was able to have an effect was because he was in the Vessel, and when he got out he was waiting for his father. Companion souls are able to delay the process and wait for each other."

Lindsey turned into Chris as the Angel finished his explanation, awe settling over her.

"Our son made it possible for us to have more children" she whispered in wonder.

"Yes, he did. He must have really loved you" Chris answered quietly. Lindsey smiled.

"And you" she said. She blinked as a thought occurred to her and she turned to look at the Angel again.

"Wait. A year ago? So you're saying this whole time, I could have gotten pregnant? Why didn't I before now?" The Angel smiled.

"Because it happened when it was supposed to" he said. Chris scowled.

"It's the whole destiny thing again, isn't it?" he grumbled. The Angel's smile turned into a smirk.

"Well I am an Angel of Destiny, you know" he said as he turned at looked at Paige, who was watching him with narrowed eyes. He folded his arms, waiting.

"It was you. You were the one who told Chris and Michael about Max and what his next life will be like" she accused. "You told them, but we had to guess who turned Lindsey's clock back?" The Angel nodded.

"Yes I told them. I had to. They were both going to try to change the outcome and that would have messed everything up. The only way I could get them to not involve themselves was to tell them what was going to happen next" he said simply. He turned to Chris and Lindsey.

"All of your children have their own destiny and I'm the one who's overseeing that. I may have meddled more then I should have, but you lot are all so stubborn I didn't have a choice if everything was to turn out the way it was supposed to. But now that you have your answers, I have to go. Enjoy this time, as it won't always be this easy."

Lindsey frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked. The Angel smiled.

"No one has a completely easy life, Miss Ludlow. Not even normal humans" he said. Before anyone could say anything else, there was a soft flash of white and he was gone.

~0~

Once everyone had gotten over their surprise, they all decided to get back to the reception. They had more to celebrate now. Chris stopped Lindsey just before she followed everyone out of the office. She looked at him in question as he drew her back into the room.

"Okay, this really wasn't the way I wanted to do it, but it seems like I'm not going to find a better time…"

Lindsey's eyes widened as Chris got down on one knee. He held out his hand a small box appeared in it in a swirl of orbs. Chris flipped it open and Lindsey gaped at the most perfect ring she had ever seen.

"Lindsey Michelle Ludlow, I love you with everything I am. You are my world, and now you're expanding that world by bringing new life into it. Will you make me the happiest man on earth by becoming my wife?"

Lindsey gulped as she stared at the ring. It was absolutely gorgeous. It wasn't big, just a single diamond on a gold band, surrounded by… she blinked. Were those amethysts? The silence stretched as she stared.

"Ah… Lindsey? You're making me nervous here."

Her eyes flicked to Chris's and she swallowed hard again. She slowly got down on her own knees and took his face in her hands, searching his apprehensive eyes.

"Chris, you know I love you, and I would love to marry you but… you're not just doing this because I'm pregnant are you? Because you feel you have to?" Chris reeled back and gaped at her.

"No! Of course not! I've been planning this for months!" Lindsey's eyes widened again.

"You have?" Chris blew out a frustrated breath.

"Yes! I went to Grandpa a few months back and asked for his mother's ring that he promised me when I was going to ask the woman I loved to marry me. I got his permission to replace the outer diamonds with amethysts because they reminded me of your eyes, and I've been searching for the best time to ask you since. I was going to ask you our first night at our house, but this seemed even better. Or it was, until a certain witch who worries too much ruined it!" Lindsey looked sheepish.

"Sorry. I just didn't want you to think you had to…" Chris sighed and leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers.

"I know I don't have to Lindsey. I love you and I want you to be my wife. You have no idea how much I want that." Lindsey smiled joyfully, pulled back and held out her left hand.

"Probably just as much as I want you to be my husband" she said with a laugh. She wiggled her fingers impatiently. "Well, put it on then! I want to see what it looks like!" Chris looked at her with a grin.

"So that's a yes?" he asked. Lindsey laughed again.

"Of course it is, you idiot! Put it on!"

Chris laughed as well as he took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her ring finger. It was a perfect fit and he sighed as they both stared down at it.

"Beautiful. Just like you" he murmured as he looked up into her eyes. Lindsey smiled softly and leaned forward to kiss him.

"I love you" she whispered against his mouth.

"I love you too" he answered as he drew her into his arms and they lingered over the kiss until Lindsey pulled back with a frown.

"You said that Victor promised the ring to you to give to the woman you wanted to marry. Why didn't you give it to Bianca?" she asked quietly. Chris blinked.

"Huh. Honestly, I don't know. I didn't even think of giving it to her. Which really should have been a clear warning of where our relationship was heading" he mused. Lindsey smiled and snuggled into him.

"I'm glad you didn't" she murmured. "This way it's all mine. Just like you are." Chris laughed softly.

"And you're all mine" he murmured back and they stayed like that until Phoebe came looking for them. She immediately noticed the ring; screamed and dragged them back to the party to make it triple celebration.

~0~

Three months later, in a simple ceremony involving only family and a few friends, Lindsey finally married the man she loved. Five months after that, after 18 hours of labour, Jessica Charlotte Halliwell – named after Lindsey's mother and the woman who birthed the first Warren witch – and Victor Warren Halliwell – named after Chris's grandfather and the immortal line – were born. Their parents were shocked when they saw the twins' eyes. They had Chris's hair colour and their features came from both parents, but instead of having baby blue eyes, they each had one violet eye and one green. It was very different but their parents and extended family didn't care. They were beautiful to them anyway they came.

The End.

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**Quick A/N - Well that's it guys. A massive amount of thanks to everyone who stuck with me through this and I'll add a heap more on for every review, follow and and favourite I got. And for reading in the first place lol. You all are super amazing and I give you all a round of applause! **


	28. Author Note - Sequel

**Hi everyone!**

**Just thought I'd let you all know that I've just posted the first chapter to the sequel to Future Consequences. It's called Hide And Seek and obviously, you can find it on my profile.**

**Hope you all enjoy and please feed me that feedback!**


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Charmed, Angst, Romance